Unscientific America

Unscientific America PDF Author: Chris Mooney
Publisher: Basic Books
ISBN: 0786744553
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 226

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Book Description
In his famous 1959 Rede lecture at Cambridge University, the scientifically-trained novelist C.P. Snow described science and the humanities as "two cultures," separated by a "gulf of mutual incomprehension." And the humanists had all the cultural power -- the low prestige of science, Snow argued, left Western leaders too little educated in scientific subjects that were increasingly central to world problems: the elementary physics behind nuclear weapons, for instance, or the basics of plant science needed to feed the world's growing population. Now, Chris Mooney and Sheril Kirshenbaum, a journalist-scientist team, offer an updated "two cultures" polemic for America in the 21st century. Just as in Snow's time, some of our gravest challenges -- climate change, the energy crisis, national economic competitiveness -- and gravest threats -- global pandemics, nuclear proliferation -- have fundamentally scientific underpinnings. Yet we still live in a culture that rarely takes science seriously or has it on the radar. For every five hours of cable news, less than a minute is devoted to science; 46 percent of Americans reject evolution and think the Earth is less than 10,000 years old; the number of newspapers with weekly science sections has shrunken by two-thirds over the past several decades. The public is polarized over climate change -- an issue where political party affiliation determines one's view of reality -- and in dangerous retreat from childhood vaccinations. Meanwhile, only 18 percent of Americans have even met a scientist to begin with; more than half can't name a living scientist role model. For this dismaying situation, Mooney and Kirshenbaum don't let anyone off the hook. They highlight the anti-intellectual tendencies of the American public (and particularly the politicians and journalists who are supposed to serve it), but also challenge the scientists themselves, who despite the best of intentions have often failed to communicate about their work effectively to a broad public -- and so have ceded their critical place in the public sphere to religious and commercial propagandists. A plea for enhanced scientific literacy, Unscientific America urges those who care about the place of science in our society to take unprecedented action. We must begin to train a small army of ambassadors who can translate science's message and make it relevant to the media, to politicians, and to the public in the broadest sense. An impassioned call to arms worthy of Snow's original manifesto, this book lays the groundwork for reintegrating science into the public discourse -- before it's too late.

Unscientific America

Unscientific America PDF Author: Chris Mooney
Publisher: Basic Books
ISBN: 0786744553
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 226

Get Book Here

Book Description
In his famous 1959 Rede lecture at Cambridge University, the scientifically-trained novelist C.P. Snow described science and the humanities as "two cultures," separated by a "gulf of mutual incomprehension." And the humanists had all the cultural power -- the low prestige of science, Snow argued, left Western leaders too little educated in scientific subjects that were increasingly central to world problems: the elementary physics behind nuclear weapons, for instance, or the basics of plant science needed to feed the world's growing population. Now, Chris Mooney and Sheril Kirshenbaum, a journalist-scientist team, offer an updated "two cultures" polemic for America in the 21st century. Just as in Snow's time, some of our gravest challenges -- climate change, the energy crisis, national economic competitiveness -- and gravest threats -- global pandemics, nuclear proliferation -- have fundamentally scientific underpinnings. Yet we still live in a culture that rarely takes science seriously or has it on the radar. For every five hours of cable news, less than a minute is devoted to science; 46 percent of Americans reject evolution and think the Earth is less than 10,000 years old; the number of newspapers with weekly science sections has shrunken by two-thirds over the past several decades. The public is polarized over climate change -- an issue where political party affiliation determines one's view of reality -- and in dangerous retreat from childhood vaccinations. Meanwhile, only 18 percent of Americans have even met a scientist to begin with; more than half can't name a living scientist role model. For this dismaying situation, Mooney and Kirshenbaum don't let anyone off the hook. They highlight the anti-intellectual tendencies of the American public (and particularly the politicians and journalists who are supposed to serve it), but also challenge the scientists themselves, who despite the best of intentions have often failed to communicate about their work effectively to a broad public -- and so have ceded their critical place in the public sphere to religious and commercial propagandists. A plea for enhanced scientific literacy, Unscientific America urges those who care about the place of science in our society to take unprecedented action. We must begin to train a small army of ambassadors who can translate science's message and make it relevant to the media, to politicians, and to the public in the broadest sense. An impassioned call to arms worthy of Snow's original manifesto, this book lays the groundwork for reintegrating science into the public discourse -- before it's too late.

Unscientific America: 9/11, Harris and Chomsky

Unscientific America: 9/11, Harris and Chomsky PDF Author: Anab Whitehouse
Publisher: Bilquees Press
ISBN:
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 178

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Book Description
This book serves as a concise and incisive introduction into various aspects of the 9/11 issue and does so in a unique fashion. Among other things, it gives expression to an overview of the transformation that took place in the understanding of Peter Michael Ketchum, a former employee of NIST, with respect to the issue of 9/11, and the book also pursues a fairly extensive round of critical reflection in relation to the rather disturbing views of Sam Harris and Noam Chomsky on matters pertaining to 9/11. More specifically, despite the fact that both Dr. Harris and Professor Chomsky are considered -- at least by some people -- to be scientists, nonetheless, rather surprisingly -- if not shockingly -- in the matter of 9/11, neither of the foregoing two gentlemen seems to exhibit the basic qualities one might expect from a scientist -- namely, curiosity, rigor, insight, methodology, attention to detail, concern for the quality of evidence, logical analysis, or the capacity to ask probing questions, but, instead, they appear to be preoccupied with manufactured conspiracies of one kind or another. This book -- Unscientific America: 9/11, Harris, and Chomsky -- will present a substantial amount of evidence to demonstrate that in the matter of 9/11, neither Dr. Harris nor Professor Chomsky appears to know all that much about the actual facts of 9/11. Yet, such a lack of knowledge has not prevented either of those two individuals from making all manner of allegations concerning the events of that tragic day that seem to be unsubstantiated. In the matter of 9/11, both Dr. Harris and Professor Chomsky behave in a way that suggests that they -- each in his own inimitable style -- appear to have become deeply entangled in a process of willful blindness in which they could have known relevant facts concerning 9/11 and should have known those facts but, instead, seem to have taken active steps to ignore such information and, as a result, bear a certain amount of responsibility for the ensuing tragedies that might have been prevented, or lessened to some degree, if Dr. Harris and Professor Chomsky had been less cavalier in their mishandling of the actual evidence of 9/11 and, in the process, appear to have misled millions of other individuals concerning the facts of that occasion.

Summary: Unscientific America

Summary: Unscientific America PDF Author: BusinessNews Publishing,
Publisher: Primento
ISBN: 2511002809
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 20

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Book Description
The must-read summary of Chris Mooney and Sheril Kirshenbaum's book: “Unscientific America: How Scientific Illiteracy Threatens Our Future”. This complete summary of "Unscientific America" by Chris Mooney and Sheril Kirshenbaum presents their argument that science and society are increasingly disconnected and that scientific truth and evidence are decreasingly present in the media and journalism. Added-value of this summary: • Save time • Understand how science is ever less present in public discourse • Expand your knowledge of American politics and society To learn more, read "Unscientific America" and discover the benefits of reintegrating science into American public discourse.

Unscientific America

Unscientific America PDF Author: Chris Mooney
Publisher: Basic Books
ISBN: 0786744553
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 226

Get Book Here

Book Description
In his famous 1959 Rede lecture at Cambridge University, the scientifically-trained novelist C.P. Snow described science and the humanities as "two cultures," separated by a "gulf of mutual incomprehension." And the humanists had all the cultural power -- the low prestige of science, Snow argued, left Western leaders too little educated in scientific subjects that were increasingly central to world problems: the elementary physics behind nuclear weapons, for instance, or the basics of plant science needed to feed the world's growing population. Now, Chris Mooney and Sheril Kirshenbaum, a journalist-scientist team, offer an updated "two cultures" polemic for America in the 21st century. Just as in Snow's time, some of our gravest challenges -- climate change, the energy crisis, national economic competitiveness -- and gravest threats -- global pandemics, nuclear proliferation -- have fundamentally scientific underpinnings. Yet we still live in a culture that rarely takes science seriously or has it on the radar. For every five hours of cable news, less than a minute is devoted to science; 46 percent of Americans reject evolution and think the Earth is less than 10,000 years old; the number of newspapers with weekly science sections has shrunken by two-thirds over the past several decades. The public is polarized over climate change -- an issue where political party affiliation determines one's view of reality -- and in dangerous retreat from childhood vaccinations. Meanwhile, only 18 percent of Americans have even met a scientist to begin with; more than half can't name a living scientist role model. For this dismaying situation, Mooney and Kirshenbaum don't let anyone off the hook. They highlight the anti-intellectual tendencies of the American public (and particularly the politicians and journalists who are supposed to serve it), but also challenge the scientists themselves, who despite the best of intentions have often failed to communicate about their work effectively to a broad public -- and so have ceded their critical place in the public sphere to religious and commercial propagandists. A plea for enhanced scientific literacy, Unscientific America urges those who care about the place of science in our society to take unprecedented action. We must begin to train a small army of ambassadors who can translate science's message and make it relevant to the media, to politicians, and to the public in the broadest sense. An impassioned call to arms worthy of Snow's original manifesto, this book lays the groundwork for reintegrating science into the public discourse -- before it's too late.

America Through the Eyes of China and India

America Through the Eyes of China and India PDF Author: Edward D. Sherman
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA
ISBN: 0826434665
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 178

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Book Description
America has long exported its network and cable programming abroad, but with a changing world comes a changing dynamic. As global centers of power shift, and wealth becomes redistributed, and perhaps even re-centered, vast audiences which have never before had contact with American television will begin to gain access to the full wealth and abundance of American programming. The opening of new markets and new audiences, particularly within the growing superpowers of China and India, presents us with a novel situation. It is one thing for a show like The OC to be played in a nation like England, where the cultural and religious differences with the United States are not that profound, and quite another for it to air in a nation like India, where arranged marriages, the caste system, and pervasive poverty are still everyday realities. America Through the Eyes of China and India explores the dynamics of television, identity, and cultural communication, providing a new lens for encountering, interpreting, and judging American culture and the American identity.

Framing 9/11, 3rd Edition

Framing 9/11, 3rd Edition PDF Author: Anab Whitehouse
Publisher: Bilquees Press
ISBN:
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 510

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Book Description
One of the readers of the first edition of this book considered it to be the best work that has been written on the subject of 9/11. The 3rd edition seeks to make a very good book even better. Framing 9/11, 3rd Edition contains all of the material that was present in the first two editions. This includes critical discussions on: The collapse of Building 7; the no-planes issue; controlled demolition; the work of Dr. Judy Wood; commentary on the views of Bill Maher and Matt Taibi concerning 9/11; Conspiracy and other 'C' words, as well as a series of 'Did You Know?' features. The current, updated edition of Framing 9/11 involves more than 150 pages of new material, and much of this is contained in chapter of this book entitled: ‘Unscientific America: 9/11, Sam Harris, and Noam Chomsky’. The penultimate chapter of this book also contains new material. It consists of an overview of, and introduction to, the work of Rebekah Roth which is given expression in her Methodical trilogy as well as through a variety of interviews. The final chapter of the 3rd Edition gives expression to an exploration of ‘The 9/11 Delusion and Its Consequences.” This discussion will critically examine the etiology of our current dilemma and provide an outline concerning how the very first step taken toward the pathology in which we are mired today began when Americans (both leaders and ordinary citizens) ceded their moral and intellectual agency to something other than the truth and, in the process became vulnerable to the 9/11 delusion. By becoming entangled in that delusion, all too many people were prepared to commit crimes against peace (i.e., unprovoked aggression against other people and nations) which, in turn, led to war crimes and crimes against humanity. However, our nightmare began when people (both leaders and ordinary citizens) denied themselves and others the opportunity (a) to establish the truth about, among other things, 9/11 and (b) to use that truth to work to create conditions that are conducive to the realization of “inalienable sovereignty” for everyone.

Is American Science in Decline?

Is American Science in Decline? PDF Author: Yu Xie
Publisher: Harvard University Press
ISBN: 0674065042
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 241

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Book Description
Alarmists argue that the United States urgently needs more and better trained scientists to compete with the rest of the world. Their critics counter that, far from facing a shortage, we are producing a glut of young scientists with poor employment prospects. Both camps have issued reports in recent years that predict the looming decline of American science. Drawing on their extensive analysis of national datasets, Yu Xie and Alexandra Killewald have welcome news to share: American science is in good health. Is American Science in Decline? does reveal areas of concern, namely scientists' low earnings, the increasing competition they face from Asia, and the declining number of doctorates who secure academic positions. But the authors argue that the values inherent in American culture make the country highly conducive to science for the foreseeable future. They do not see globalization as a threat but rather a potential benefit, since it promotes efficiency in science through knowledge-sharing. In an age when other countries are catching up, American science will inevitably become less dominant, even though it is not in decline relative to its own past. As technology continues to change the American economy, better-educated workers with a range of skills will be in demand. So as a matter of policy, the authors urge that science education not be detached from general education.

America the Possible

America the Possible PDF Author: James Gustave Speth
Publisher: Yale University Press
ISBN: 0300184689
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 288

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Book Description
In this third volume of his award-winning American Crisis series, James Gustave Speth makes his boldest and most ambitious contribution yet. He looks unsparingly at the sea of troubles in which the United States now finds itself, charts a course through the discouragement and despair commonly felt today, and envisions what he calls America the Possible, an attractive and plausible future that we can still realize. The book identifies a dozen features of the American political economy--the country's basic operating system--where transformative change is essential. It spells out the specific changes that are needed to move toward a new political economy--one in which the true priority is to sustain people and planet. Supported by a compelling "theory of change" that explains how system change can come to America, the book also presents a vision of political, social, and economic life in a renewed America. Speth envisions a future that will be well worth fighting for. In short, this is a book about the American future and the strong possibility that we yet have it in ourselves to use our freedom and our democracy in powerful ways to create something fine, a reborn America, for our children and grandchildren.

America the Philosophical

America the Philosophical PDF Author: Carlin Romano
Publisher: Vintage
ISBN: 0345804708
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 690

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Book Description
This bold, insightful book argues that America today towers as the most philosophical culture in the history of the world, an unprecedented marketplace for truth and debate. With verve and keen intelligence, Carlin Romano—Pulitzer Prize finalist, award-winning book critic, and professor of philosophy—takes on the widely held belief that the United States is an anti-intellectual country. Instead he provides a richly reported overview of American thought, arguing that ordinary Americans see through phony philosophical justifications faster than anyone else, and that the best of our thinkers ditch artificial academic debates for fresh intellectual enterprises. Along the way, Romano seeks to topple philosophy’s most fiercely admired hero, Socrates, asserting that it is Isocrates, the nearly forgotten Greek philosopher who rejected certainty, whom Americans should honor as their intellectual ancestor. America the Philosophical is a rebellious tour de force that both celebrates our country’s unparalleled intellectual energy and promises to bury some of our most hidebound cultural clichés.

Scientifical Americans

Scientifical Americans PDF Author: Sharon A. Hill
Publisher: McFarland
ISBN: 1476630828
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 255

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Book Description
In the 21st century, reality television and the Internet have fed public interest in ghosts, UFOs, cryptozoology and other unusual phenomena. By 2010, roughly 2000 amateur research and investigation groups formed in the U.S.--ghost hunters, Bigfoot chasers and UFO researchers, using an array of (supposedly) scientific equipment and methods to prove the existence of the paranormal. American culture's honorific regard for science, coupled with the public's unfamiliarity with scientific methods, created a niche for self-styled paranormal experts to achieve national renown without scientific training or credentials. The author provides a comprehensive examination of the ideas, missions and methods promoted by these passionate amateurs.