In order to get people to pay attention to you, you have to connect with their personal lives. You have to show them “what’s in it for me.” The best way to do this is to focus on people’s basic physical and emotional needs.

If you can show someone how they will be able to save/have more money, get more satisfying relationships, have more sex, etc, then they will listen to you. That’s why advertising works so well!

Nathan

Since I agree to some extent with Spank’s views on global warming, and already try to keep up with realclimate, may I suggest some reading for you?

climateaudit.org provides a thorough and well-reasoned critique of one of the more “iconic” global warming papers (that was co-authored by one of the realclimate originators), as well as raising serious issues with multi-proxy studies in general.

For some perspective on science and politics, please see http://sciencepolicy.colorado.edu/prometheus/. The author(s) have some very good ideas on the role of science and scientists in politics.

There are many things that are certain besides mere “death & taxes”. There is a fixed value for the electronvolt (1 eV = 1.60217646 × 10^-19 joules), without which the Universe wouldn’t exist, since it could not give rise to us to allow us to interpret it; without something to interpret it, said thing may as well not exist because interpretation requires intelligence, much like the old analogy about “Is there a sound from a falling tree in a forest if no one is there to hear it?”

It was the wildest stroke of luck that conditions came into being to allow us to exist. Or was it?

If our Universe, for all its immense size, is but a pinprick in an unfathomably large tapesty of Universes side by side, then there is a certain inevitably that eventually we would come into existence in one of all those Universes.

It requires no gods or infinite beings or Intelligent Design; only that times passes. There could have been a googleplex (10^10^100) of iterations of Universes before, and more to follow, but in THIS Universe conditions were adequate for us to exist. And if Intelligence does in fact arise, it is duty bound to study the Universe and try to comprehend how it works, without recourse to shepherder’s tales passed from parent to child around the campfire in the hills as they watch their flocks by night.

Once you have a solid methodology, where results can be perfectly duplicated by anyone, at any time, with equivalent equipment and conditions, then you dispense with the superstition, and trudge stolidly towards new frontiers and discoveries. You SHARE your discoveries; others share their insights about your discoveries; together humanity advances.

If we let these antedeluvian prophets steer our course, humanity may as well lay down all its wonders and march straight off into the sea and drown themselves. These people will drag us, kicking and screaming, back into the Dark Ages, where we kill animals for fat to burn in our lamps; where we scratch and claw at the ground to grow inadequate crops and feed malnourished offspring; where we will pray on bended knee for some sort of divine intervention that will never come.

Don’t let these purveyors of myth destroy all that Humanity has accomplished; don’t let vapid, insipid theists vilify “Science”. The most aggravating thing about these people is that they are hypocrites, using all this technology and ability that Science has given us in an attempt to batter down the very doors OF Science!

DEFEND SCIENCE! DEFEND HUMANITY! Save us from those that would turn us into quivering cowardly creatures relying on invisible super-beings to intercede and protect us from things we are too ignorant to understand (like thunder & lightning). Let us not march backwards through time, but bravely towards the future.

Or as Robert A. Heinlein once put it:
The MEEK shall inherit the Earth; the REST of us are going to the STARS!

While I believe our society HAS some key problems it must address re: how we relate to the world and other life, the ideology of the Dark Ages won’t help us solve those problems. Only more knowledge can do that.

No, it wasn’t part of the joke. Comedy Central censored the image. Not the South Park guys. That is my current understanding.

I have signed up, too.

“Mankind’s advancements, due largely to the rigors inherent to the scientific method, are undeniable. These continual blessings should not be undermined or usurped by any opponent that would act to impede the ability of science to discover, and teach, the truths of natural processes.”

My slight criticism is that the ‘Petition” is rather long, convoluted and limited to only a certain section of the society, but that has been mentioned by others too. And it is not just an ‘American’ battle, there are others across the world that need to express their thoughts, in support, as the ramifications are global in the long run. Thanks again Phil for that opportunity to do just that, by bringing it to our attention.

Ivan.

BTW, Berkely is a long way for me – around 7000 or 8000 miles, I think.

I got the same impression which is why I did not sign. I’d love to if they wanted “regular” folks to sign as well!

Donna

Sounds like an oxymoron. Science is universal.

I suppose it’s because my formative years were spent during those scientific go go years of the sixties that I can’t help feeling that for the anti-science crowd to be willing to see the U.S fall behind the rest of the world they must really hate this country.

How’s this for a bumper sticker “Defend Science, it’s the patriotic thing to do.”

In this spirit, not only are people like you welcome but we hope you will spread the word and especially the Defend Science statement far and wide to many more people like yourself.

So I added my name to the petition.

jbs

The signatory list would have a lot more impact if a few less of the signors were scientists and a few more came from other walks of life

Reading the page leads me to believe they intend scientists sign and non-scientists to not sign. I agree, the congresscritters will be more likely to pay attention to Jane and Joe Voter than Dr. Science. I made a small donation. I’ll check back to see if they change to wording to include those of us college degree challenged. I will add links to my web page (not that many visit … )

jbs