Scientist/layperson relations:
Via Crooked Timber, I see that philosopher Simon Blackburn would like to dispel some myths. (He does this in the inaugural article of a Times Higher Education series "in which academics range beyond their area of expertise".) Of the ten...
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Posted on April 27, 2008 5:35 PM • 34 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
In the aftermath of a pretty enthusiastic pile-on to a claim that Expelled! had a successful first week of release, Chris Mooney calls for "serious introspection about the massive communication crisis we're facing in the science world". You know I'm...
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Posted on April 21, 2008 2:51 PM • 30 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
I heard a piece by David Kestenbaum on NPR's "Morning Edition" that hasn't been sitting right with me. You, dear readers, get to help me figure out what's bugging me about the story, a profile of 16-year-old climate skeptic Kristen...
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Posted on April 15, 2008 12:50 PM • 89 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
I haven't given up yet. You know I'm still looking for more clarity on the basic premises of framing. I tried to work out what does and does not fall within the framing strategy in a flowcharted example and (again)...
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Posted on April 11, 2008 2:24 AM • 8 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
You'll remember that I tried to work out precisely what was being claimed in the premises behind framing set out by Chris Mooney. At the end of this exercise, I was left with the hunch that one's optimal communication strategy...
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Posted on April 5, 2008 4:03 PM • 17 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Chris Mooney lays out the argument behind "framing". I give my thoughts, item by item....
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Posted on April 2, 2008 11:40 PM • 8 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
In light of all the recent discussion about the "framing" of the Expelled! expulsion, it occurs to me that maybe part of the reason that the argument seems so unproductive is that the parties involved haven't really agreed on what,...
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Posted on March 30, 2008 5:18 PM • 21 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
For those who have been following the activities of "animal rights" activists, including their attacks of the homes of researchers -- and the reticence of the public in the face of such violent attacks -- a recent Commentary in Biological...
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Posted on March 26, 2008 4:52 PM • 28 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Maybe you heard the news that PZ Myers and Richard Dawkins went to a screening of the documentary Expelled! in Minneapolis, except that, because he was recognized, PZ Myers was barred from the screening (despite having signed up ahead of...
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Posted on March 24, 2008 2:07 PM • 14 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Following up on an earlier post, I wanted to say a little about the Synopsis Championship that took place last week. It's sort of a judge's-eye view of the fair -- from a very enthusiastic and impressed judge....
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Posted on March 17, 2008 8:27 PM • 5 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
A bunch of other bloggers are discussing the recent statement A Broken Pipeline? Flat Funding of the NIH Puts a Generation of Science at Risk (PDF). I thought I'd say something about the complexities of the situation, and about why...
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Posted on March 12, 2008 1:35 PM • 5 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
For readers in the greater San Jose (California) region, I wanted to pass along a call for judges for the Synopsis Championship, scheduled to take place next Wednesday, March 12. Judges will be doing their thing from noon to 4:30...
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Posted on March 6, 2008 12:05 PM • 3 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Are data from cancer research supposed to help cancer patients or career-minded scientists?
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Posted on March 3, 2008 2:12 PM • 26 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
You've probably heard that UCLA scientist Edythe London, whose house was earlier vandalized to the tune of tens of thousands of dollars by animal rights activists, has once again been targeted. This time an incendiary device was left on her...
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Posted on February 14, 2008 7:19 PM • 34 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
I'm passing on information about a program sponsored by the National Science Foundation for graduate students. The program, organized by the University of Montana Center for Ethics, is called Debating Science 2008, and here's how it's described on the announcement:...
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Posted on February 11, 2008 12:58 PM • 3 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Maybe you saw the story in the New York Times about new research that may show that ingesting too much caffeine while pregnant increases the chances of miscarriage. And, if you're like me, one of the first things you did...
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Posted on January 23, 2008 5:51 PM • 19 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Janet D. Stemwedel (whose nom de blog is Dr. Free-Ride) is an assistant professor of philosophy at San Jose State University. Before becoming a philosopher, she earned a Ph.D. in physical chemistry. Email her at dr.freeride@gmail.com.
