I want to start with a bold statement: rigorous science equals a strong and healthy democracy. That’s too wonky. Let’s try this: ignore science and we’re all going to die.
How old is the earth? Is it 4.5 billion years old? Or, about six thousand? Is climate change a myth? When did Fauci become a bad guy? And why?
Science is under attack. Let me back up.
My daughter is a sophomore. She’s no big fan of high school. Certainly not her classes. Getting her to do any homework is a nightmare. Then along came geology. She loves geology class. She excitedly tells us about crystals and spends her money buying them (they are beautiful.) She’s writing about the mineral columbite-tantalite (for her study of what minerals are in your mobile phone). And, she is spending the semester monitoring seismic activity in the Philippines - in real time. She thinks geology is cool!
And there it is. The antidote to all this anti-science. For centuries, from the creation vs. evolution debate to the abortion pill we’ve questioned, defended, and argued about science. But there’s something else to be said about science. Maybe something we can all agree on. Science is cool. You’ll hear all about it in this week’s show The World is a Laboratory.
– Charles