Electile Dysfunction: Bungling Science pt. 1

It’s ironic, really. America has been the science and technology innovation engine of the world since the days of Thomas Edison, being joined in supremacy by Japan by the last decade of the 20th century. And yet, despite an amazingly vibrant tech industry (whose growth remains fairly unhindered despite the dot com crash and the current credit crunch), Americans have a very strange relationship with science. Most Americans like to pretend we’re down with science, but the truth is…well, it’s a little more complicated.
Continue reading ‘Electile Dysfunction: Bungling Science pt. 1′

Can’t Get an Election? Try a Candle!

This year’s Beyond Belief conference is up, and it looks like it’s gonna be a doozy. This year, in honor of another very bitter election season in the midst of a number of medium-sized crises, the cadre of scientists and philosophers have trained their sights on public policy.

For those of you who haven’t stumbled upon this conference yet, here’ s a brief history: Continue reading ‘Can’t Get an Election? Try a Candle!’