On clarity in writing
Does the writer know what that sentence actually says? The answer is routinely no…Here’s another example: “Fixed-gear bikes are ridden exclusively on thes...
Category: Public Discourse
Scientific exceptionalism part 2
Over at Front Porch Republic, Mark Mitchell cautions us against reckless displays of patriotism. Here’s my whimsical recasting of his introduction: If you...
The Scientific Sensibility
On a blog I’ve just started reading ardently, Venkat Rao explains why he doesn’t like the scientific method: I don’t like or use the term scientific...
Bias in scientists
Writing in the Times, Cordelia Fine justifies confirmation bias as a tool that facilitates discovery: Scientists are not immune. In another experiment, psycholo...
Emotional, intelligent discourse
My friend I-Chant had a sharp comment on my recent post on hypocrisy (emphasis added): I think the main problem is that there is an assumption that humans have ...
Hypocrisy happens
Cogitating some more on “The Politics of Demarcation” by Paul Newall and Michael Pearl, I understand their dismay when scientists don’t stick ...
Belated response to the politics of demarcation
It has been two months (an eternity in blogging years) since Paul Newall and Michael Pearl insisted that the issue of teaching intelligent design in schools sho...
Public literacy and self-awareness
Via Chris Mooney and The Bubble Chamber, here’s sociologist Barry Glassner calling for more public literacy among scientists: Scientists and their advocat...
On particulars and broad trends
A few months ago Alan Jacobs provided some needed restraint on the temptation to over-generalize, in this instance on the role of social media in the Middle Eas...
On the lack of consequences
In a recent exchange, Peter decries “overblown public assessments” of the benefits of science, and warns that “putting out hype that encourage...