calling for science debate since about

Calling for a science debate

Since about 1900 science and its significant other, technology have

become the dominant influence on the life and death of those living on

this sphere, and often to the joy of their families on the births and

especially survival of newborns. Dad Rabett's father, Eli's

grandfather, was born in 1884 before flush toilets, about 20 years

after Maxwell first stated his unification of electricity and

magnetism, but in the same year that Heaviside and Gibbs reformulated

it into modern vectorial form and three years before Hertz

demonstrated the reality of electromagnetic waves (radio). Atoms were

postulated, but their structure unknown. All four of Eli's

grandparents were born before just about any technology used today,

and their lives were significantly extended by the creation of modern

medicine, but even more so by such technological commonplaces as water

treatment. His mom has made it into the Internet age. Awareness and

some understanding of science and engineering is necessary for policy

makers although many behave as if this were not the case.

Chris Mooney and Sheril Kirshenbaum at Intersection have organized a

petition asking the candidates for the US Presidency to debate about

science issues (and Eli would explicitly add technology). Please get

behind this. Please get involved by registering at the petition site.

The casual acceptance of scientific ignorance by policy makers is a