The Scientific Activist

Welcome to the new home of The Scientific Activist, a growing source of news and commentary on science, politics, science policy, and everything in between. The Scientific Activist was first launched on January 11th, 2006, at scientificactivist.blogspot.com/, and the goals were ambitious: by providing information and insights on recent scientific developments, political issues in science, and the proper role of science in an ever-changing world, I hoped to make strides toward increasing public understanding of science, clearing up misconceptions, and opening up a dialogue on these important issues. The idea was that in a political climate that was becoming increasingly hostile to science, it was up to scientists to think beyond the bench and stand up for what they believe in--to become scientific activists.

I don't know how much progress I made on those fronts, but I did write a lot. And, I think some people even read what I wrote. In the process, I covered a diverse array of issues from political interference in science to public access to scientific literature. I was able to chronicle the ongoing animal rights movement in Oxford and, being in the right place at the right time, the unprecedented response of the scientific community here. I also had the opportunity to remove one major obstacle to the progress of science by forcing the resignation of a Bush Administration appointee at NASA who had been censoring science there that was seen as unfavorable to the administration's agenda.

I'm on a new site now, but nothing has changed, except that I'm now part of an impressive and integrated new community of science bloggers (and, while we're at it, I guess I'll admit that the new site looks a hell of a lot better than this). In that spirit, then, I'll wrap up this post with an excerpt from my introductory post on the old site:

As science continues to play an increasingly prominent role in society and everyday life, the pace of public understanding of science has not kept up, leading to basic misunderstandings about science and a general lack of science literacy. Although usually manifested as a lack of support for certain types of scientific research or theories--particularly evolution, global warming, stem cell research, transgenic crops, and animal research--this dearth of understanding also causes people to place undue faith in miracle cures or to become unable to separate basic science from the ways some have applied scientific advances. Although some leaders can be blamed for intentionally misleading the public on scientific issues to achieve political goals, and the media can be blamed for often inadequate coverage of science, it is up to scientists in the end to become activists in their own right, and make educating the public a major priority. We cannot assume the science will speak for itself, and this was a major driving force behind the creation of The Scientific Activist.

Science is fundamentally a path of inquiry toward understanding nature. Although science is often equated with its applications--particularly in the pharmaceutical, biotechnological, and chemical industries--a major difference in philosophy and motivation exists here. Although basic science is purely about the search for knowledge and understanding, the applied sciences have a variety of different motivations, some admirable, others not. As many people become disillusioned with the industrial applications of science, scientists will have to step up and make this distinction to protect the credibility of their own field, advancing the cause of basic science, and supporting only proper applications of science.

Proper applications of science are those that improve people's lives, empower the public, preserve the environment, and expand our knowledge of nature. For example, although past scientific advances have given some industrial plants the ability to produce polluting chemicals, science can also help us produce clean and renewable energy sources. Although the proper use of science generally falls into a progressive philosophy, scientific activism should not be beholden to a particular political ideology. In addition, scientists must also avoid falling into the trap of blindly supporting any scientific cause or application. For example, due primarily to the overwhelmingly inaccurate information coming from the opposition, life scientists in particular have felt the need to demonstrate firm and unwavering support for transgenic crops. Although the scientists have focused on describing the sound scientific basis of transgenic crops, this has often precluded them from discussing other implications, including the role transgenic crops could play in further consolidating agriculture worldwide. It is up to scientists to not only correct the scientific record but also to openly discuss the proper role of these scientific applications. In the case of transgenic crops, this includes the need to keep academic researchers heavily involved in their development of transgenic crops and to push for the development of the promised humanitarian benefits.

The life of a scientist is about understanding nature and communicating findings, which should naturally lend itself to engaging the public as well. There is an important role in society for those who search out information and broadcast it to the public, and only if people have access to the truth in all of its stunning complexity do they stand a chance of making the best decisions, for them and for society in general.