Adventures in Ethics and Science
Archives for March, 2006
Friday Sprog Blogging: germs!
Posted by Janet D. Stemwedel on March 31, 2006 Nature study has taken a turn from the macroscopic to the microscopic. Is it a coincidence that the Free-Ride family has also been passing around a cold? While your blogger felt sure she would be able to avoid catching it, the young Free-Riders are extremely effective vectors of disease. Dr. Free-Ride: What do you know…
Evaluating scientific credibility (or, do we have to take the scientists’ word for it?)
Posted by Janet D. Stemwedel on March 30, 2006 In response to my first entry on Steve Fuller’s essay on Chris Mooney‘s book, The Republican War on Science, Bill Hooker posted this incisive comment: Fuller seems to be suggesting that there is no good way to determine which scientists in the debate are most credible — it all comes down to deciding who to…
Skeptics’ Circle at Terra Sigillata
Posted by Janet D. Stemwedel on March 30, 2006 Has it been two weeks already? The 31st Skeptics’ Circle is now available at Terra Sigillata. Not only has its host, Abel PharmBoy, put together a delightful selection of the blogosphere’s best skeptical writing, but he’s given it the feel of a meeting of a smallish scientific society. So grab some coffee on your way…
Fuller on Intelligent Design.
Posted by Janet D. Stemwedel on March 29, 2006 As promised, here are some more thoughts on Steve Fuller’s contribution to the Crooked Timber seminar on Chris Mooney‘s book, The Republican War on Science. My last post on Fuller’s essay took up his picture of the workings of science, where it seemed to me he was gesturing toward the influence of democratic politics as…
Tangled Bank #50
Posted by Janet D. Stemwedel on March 29, 2006 Tangled Bank #50 is now up at The Island of Doubt. James Hrynyshyn (the lighthouse keeper of the aforementioned Island) has put together a smorgasbord of tasty science essays from the blogosphere’s many ports of call. Paddle over and enjoy!
Lancaster follow-up: the Antelope Valley Press gets it.
Posted by Janet D. Stemwedel on March 28, 2006 You’ll recall that the Lancaster(California) school district has recently adopted a “science philosophy” that calls for critical thinking about evolutionary theory … but no other scientific theory in the curriculum. You’ll recall that the school district trustees didn’t seem to view this as having anything to do with opening the door for the teaching of…
Am I evil, or just misunderstood?
Posted by Janet D. Stemwedel on March 28, 2006 Yes, another real post is coming soon, but the cool kids are abuzz about a new internet quiz, so …
Fuller on Mooney on science.
Posted by Janet D. Stemwedel on March 28, 2006 By now you have seen the excellent Crooked Timber seminar on Chris Mooney‘s book, The Republican War on Science. In addition to the CT regulars, sociologist of science (and Kitzmiller vs. Dover expert witness) Steve Fuller contributed an essay to the seminar. While some in these parts have dismissed it rather quickly, I want to…
Plagiarism is bad.
Posted by Janet D. Stemwedel on March 27, 2006 My students know that plagiarism is bad. You’d think a major wire service would know it, too. But it would seem that maybe the Associated Press doesn’t know that failing to properly cite sources is plagiarism. Or perhaps the AP does know, but doesn’t care. When your business is built on the premise that you…
If you really want critical thinking, why restrict where you’re calling for it?
Posted by Janet D. Stemwedel on March 26, 2006 Hey, guess what? A California school district has adopted a new science policy aimed at getting students to think more critically … about evolutionary theory. It is not entirely clear whether members of the Lancaster School District board of trustees recognize that the policy effectively singles out evolution for scrutiny, or whether they were duped.…