Brian,

Yes, what have the scientists ever done for us?

I certainly agree with your observations in regard to the widespresd disdain for, and ignorance of science and its contributions to civilisation. However, I'm sure 'magical' thinking is a legacy of our evolution on the Savannah, there's survival value in making rapid and unscientific generalisations about phenomena.

G.K Chesterton- "When people stop believing in God they don't believe in nothing, they believe in anything.", so the loss of traditional religious faith doesn't really transform humans into rational beings.

Science is difficult, boring and remote to large segments of the population, pseudo-sciences are much easier to grasp, people feel they 'understand' homeopathy,astrology etc.
So until our Stone Age brains evolve, superstition will always be part of our culture.

True faith believes a new better world is possible; where diseases etc are overcome and we work toward that objective by discovery, adaptation and change.

"a new better world is possible; where diseases etc are overcome and we work toward that objective by discovery, adaptation and change."
Posted by Philo, Wednesday, 5 October 2011 9:35:51 AM

You have 'faith' in science [to continue to deliver], Philo?

Hi
This is a weird article. It appears to say the public is too superstitious to accept technologies like nuclear and genetic engineering.

This ignores the reality of what these technologies have produced. Depleted uranium is causing birth defects in Fallujah and the continual meltdown in Fukushima will have potentially catastrophic effects.

When there are alternative power sources like solar, wind, geothermal, not to mention demand reduction, why should we be subject to the dangers of nuclear power?

GM is another technology that has failed to live up to its promoters promises. GM plants are failing in the field. They are creating superweeds and superpests in the US and so much Roundup is being used on GM crops that it is falling in the rain in Mississippi. There are increased birth defects and illness in GM growing areas of Argentina caused by the high use of chemicals associated with the GM crops.

When agroecology has been shown by scientists to be the most effective way of feeding people why should we risk eating GM?
While ignoring the reality of GM the author then claims unjustifiable benefits for GM for example:

"the book of life - is being restructured so that we will create new species of plants, be able to defeat all disease in humans and even halt the aging process."

This is utter fantasy as the main GM traits are insect resistance(plant produced toxins kill some insects) and herbicide tolerance (GM plant can be sprayed with weedkiller and not die). It is far more important to have a wide genetic variety of plants to breed from and to eat. Claiming magical properties for GM that it does not have appears to put science in the new age basket.

The lack of acceptance of nuclear and GM is likely to be because people have looked at how the dangers of the technologies have been glossed over for political and economic reasons. There are also viable alternatives that are much less risky. It would seem to be rational to prefer renewables and agroecology.

lillian:"It would seem to be rational to prefer renewables and agroecology."

Rational to prefer them, yes. I certainly prefer them.

Not rational to blindly believe that they will save the world and feed everyone in perpetuity and ignore everything else.

All technologies should be on the table (and generally are) and their relative risks and benefits regularly reassessed. That's rational.

Oh, and while we're on the subject, Brian never mentioned GM crops, and in fact what he was talking about was not insect or herbicide resistance or anything similar.

What he was talking about, not specifically of course, is that we are in an era of biotechnology, medicines and vaccines are being produced that take advantage of genetic technologies "restructuring the book of life" as it were. Genomic medicine and gene therapy are already producing wonders.

While you are sitting there, typing at your magic machine, wondering what has science ever done for you? Scared that it will take something away from you, when in reality you never really had it anyway.