Political Pseudoscience (2015-04-01)

Political Pseudoscience (2015-04-01)

Strong political views do not make good viewfinders when it comes to examining evidence. Many right wing views on science are obviously wildly distorted, with creationism and global climate change denial being obvious examples. But the left also can be shown to need new glasses—or at least to need to take their blinders off.  Here are three examples of where science has given us powerful and useful tools, yet many ‘right thinking’ and ‘left leaning’ people have a knee-jerk aversion to objectively examining the evidence.

THAT DIABOLICAL NUCLEAR ENERGY

Don’t even suggest that it may not be a useful source of relatively clean energy. Sure, there are better sources, but there are worse ones—the current ones.

http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/science/2013/06/pandora_s_promise_producer_nuclear_energy_is_necessary_to_fight_climate.html

THAT DIABOLICAL GENETICALLY MODIFIED FOOD

Who would want to eat “Frankenfood”? A lot of people. It beats not having anything to eat at all, a problem in a lot of third world countries.

http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/science-sushi/2013/05/01/esteemed-journal-nature-dedicates-issue-to-gmos-defends-technology/#.UdRJORZXvd5

THAT DIABOLICAL VACCINATION

No qualifications here. The opposition to vaccination is frightening. It’s ‘unnatural’ to inject a foreign agent into our bodies. It’s bad enough that fluoridated municipal water and iodized salt sneak ‘chemicals’ into our bodies. Infectious disease, tooth decay, and goitre are definitely more ‘natural’. Right?

http://www.skepdic.com/antivaccination.html

The above is reprinted from my July 12, 2015 posting on my “Your Man Friday’s Ideas” blog.    

 Ken@Stange.com © Ken Stange 2012-2015