The Week Of Science … who’s going to mind the store?
Published by Greg January 27th, 2007 in Blogging, Creationism, Commentary |
| Defeat of the Yahoos |
It has been proposed by the Just Science Blog that there be a
Week of Science, to begin on Monday, February 5, and end on Sunday, February 11. During that time each blogger should post about science only, with at least one post per day. Furthermore, issues which are favored by anti-scientific groups (creationism, global warming, etc.) should be either avoided, or discussed without reference to anti-scientific positions.
Just Science’s web site has a lively discussion on the issue.
With all possible respect for my colleagues, I have mixed feelings about this. Like many of the commentators at Just Science, I strive to have more science than non-science on my blog. But one of the other things I try to do is address, as an activist scientist, the issues of creationism, the politically driven irrationality connected with Global Warming, etc. I’m not sure that I am comfortable with joining in the effort to not do something that I think is very important to do on a day to day basis for a week.
Yet, I understand and agree with the basic idea here … which I see as being a collective effort to turn a cold shoulder on the politically (and religiously) driven yahoos who are really doing a lot more damage then they probably realize. In a sense, this is an organized signaling of disrespect for their positions and methods. Not a bad idea.
But, it’s also like saying to firefighters … “Hey, you don’t like fires, just pretend they don’t exist for a week.” Hmmm…. very uncomfortable with that.
During the “Week of Science” I will tip my hat to this effort daily. I’ll create, at least a few times during that week, a sort of impromptu LinkFest to many of the science posts of those involved in the Week of Science Movement. That way, all nine people who read my blog will know about it. But I feel very strongly that attendance to the Yahoos is important, they could get out of hand, and I just don’t like the idea of promising to give up something that is so much fun for an entire week. It’s not like its Bloggers Lent or something.
So during the Week of Science I will post on Science Every Day. I will Link to and Comment on the science posts my colleagues are promising. But at the same time, I promise to launch a series of BLISTERING ATTACKS on the yahoos. I will probably be focusing mostly on Global Warming because I am currently engaged in a writing project on a related topic, but I’m not promising anything specific along these lines.
So Science Bloggers, Start your Engines …. I’ll be watching and cheering you on, over by the door keeping the Yahoos out while you have your fun. I’m looking forward to a LOT of GREAT science posts.
5 Responses to “The Week Of Science … who’s going to mind the store?”
- 1 Pingback on Jan 30th, 2007 at 6:46 pm
I decided I’m not going to participate. Asking people to voluntarily do a science post a day is one thing…but asking that they not post anything else is just weird and kind of annoying.
PZ: I see what motivates the suggestion. But cockroaches, corrupt politicians, and creationists … they just don’t go away if you ignore them. I don’t even think ignoring them makes them feel bad.
What everyone should do instead is sign up to receive as much creationist literature as possible. Especially if you have a fireplace. They spend money sending that stuff out.
Please don’t stop writing about the crazy people!
Reading this I feel like I can one day become the top Yahoo,and in the spirit aforementioned of fun, I might add that every inch of the intellect is not a sterile petrie dish–the woman who recently discovered a “conversation bubble mechanism” between bacterium for instance, did so by examining the mechanism
whereby the bacteria ‘talked’ to each other, at times accepting, and at other times rejecting each others discussions….or maybe these bloggers are the long sought ‘neutrinos’ that must exist, as if their spark, feeding off of the energy of sciences theories,are the ghost particle that stay around after fusion; or maybe they are like atmospheric neutrinos… as it is put on NOVA’s website “These atmospheric neutrinos were a nuisance, easily confused with what they[researchers] were really looking for….”
But it was precisely these annoyances which embolden us to make better,and more scientific discoveries,and possibly include in that the reformed idiots of the Creationist, etc. folds.
Why is this possible? Because it is possible for neutrinos as well, which are a hell of alot smaller
than mustard seeds;-)
“The Standard Model had gotten neutrinos completely wrong.
They did have mass and they could change flavor.”[re: muon, tau, electron..]
Even the worst bloggers with their ignorance can be the best ones
to read, and fun too;-)
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/t.....trino.html