Thread: Seriousness Science Literacy in the U.S.A.
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Old 04-19-2010, 06:10 PM   #103
WT Sharpe
Bah, humbug!
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Fat Abe View Post
As a scientist, I'm all too pleased about any money that the US can funnel toward basic research. Whatever keeps my constituency employed is good. Lol.

However, in this very long thread, many have missed the most important point concerning science education. The best and the brightest men and women on the planet are not necessarily doing scientific work. They are entering fields such as financial engineering, law, and business administration. The most dangerous invention of the 20th century was not the nuclear bomb. It was the derivative, and all the instruments that it entails: CDOs, CDS, SIVs, etc. If you want to know why there is not enough money to devote to space exploration, alternative energy, hunger, disease, global warming, etc., just take a good hard look at financial engineering and its monstrous creations. Because the average person or lawmaker has neither the math or scientific literacy to analyze a financial presentation, the crooks have gotten away with murder, plus billions of dollars of money.

http://finance.yahoo.com/tech-ticker...&asset=&ccode=

http://finance.yahoo.com/tech-ticker...m,ms,c,bac,faz

http://www.scribd.com/doc/30059004/3...pbook-20070226

Recommended viewing- Capitalism: A Love Story, directed by Michael Moore. Greed is more powerful than any other motivation the human race may have. That is the most fundamental law one has to understand. More important than the Theory of Evolution or Relativity. Follow the money, and you'll realize where it is being stolen or squandered. The dirtiest 4-letter word is spelled B-A-N-K.
Very good points, all, but what I think most people are saying here is that everyone can benefit from having a good basic working knowledge of current scientific findings and the scientific method. Sure, not everyone needs to be able to have a thorough understanding of QED or General Relativity, but it would be nice if at least the majority people knew that there's no controversy in the scientific community about whether evolution occurred; and it would be nice if more people, especially in the U.S., weren't laboring under the delusion that the earth is less than 6,000 years old; if for no other reason than it makes us all look like bumpkins on the global stage.

In just the same way; we don't all need to be professional economists, but it would be beneficial if more people realized how shaky financial practices such as the trading in unregulated derivatives have hurt the global economy.

Quote:
Originally Posted by kennyc View Post
Capitalism: A Love Story looks very interesting...
My favorite parts of that film were the re-dubbed clips from an old biography of Jesus (the sound version of King of Kings?). In one scene, the disciples bring a sick man to Jesus and he tells the man he can do nothing for him because he has a pre-existing condition! Now that's how you make a point!
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