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Ruth "ranted":
>If I read a statement, I do not first inquire about the author's politics before forming an opinion of that statement. >I deplore the fact that the whole global warming issue has become a
liberal/conservative issue. It's not, and shouldn't be. If someone whose general social and political policies I disagree with makes a single statement I agree with, does that change my attitude toward social and political policies? Of course not. I find
it quite deplorable that most social issues are polarized into overly
simplistic pro and anti positions, with groups from both sides generally using
disinformation to sway others' opinions and push the debate in the direction
they want it to go, instead of dealing with the truth. If we as health
physicists want to have a significant influence on our society, our strategy
should not be to play the disinformation game, but to speak the truth. I agree
that we should deal with issues not based on the spokesperson's politics, but on
the merits of the argument, as Ruth advocates. The only thing I find more
disgusting than a scientist using disinformation is a "religious" group doing
so. Science, like religion, is about truth (let's not start a religion thread
here, send flames to me personally). Politics is not about truth, it's about
winning power at any cost. If we as scientists are to participate in the public
discussion, I say that we need to do so as scientists, not politicians, and
stick to the facts. If a group whose politics we don't like says the right
thing, we should endorse it, and vice versa.
>Enough ranting. Thanks for bearing with it.
We need more
such ranting, fire at will.
Michael G. Stabin, PhD, CHP Assistant Professor of Radiology and Radiological Sciences Department of Radiology and Radiological Sciences Vanderbilt University 1161 21st Avenue South Nashville, TN 37232-2675 Phone (615) 322-3190 Fax (615) 322-3764 e-mail michael.g.stabin@vanderbilt.edu "Quantum
Mechanics: The dreams stuff is made of"
- Steven Wright |