Science and Sanity

Back40 at CrumbTrail links to a very wonderful article at The Economist and offers some thoughtful comments: Back40: bq. Boffins and Luddites Science is of little use to the majority of humanity except for its utility in generating smoke and mirrors. It is used primarily to prop up otherwise indefensible views, everything from intelligent design to organic food and the host of associated dietary and behavior prescriptions of cultists. One of the most strident abuses of science has been made by opponents of genetic engineering to support their mystical naturalism. They have been losing ground rapidly in most of the world and it seems will soon be isolated to a few technological backwaters, chiefly Europe and the densely populated coastal cities of the US. The Economist: bq. A DOUBLE blow is coming for the opponents of genetically modified (GM) foods, from two of the world's big farming nations. China, where many farmers already grow GM cotton, is likely soon to authorise commercial growing of GM rice. And Brazil is close to setting up a mechanism that could legalise all GM crops. Back40 again: bq. India already grows GM cotton and like China has a well developed research establishment that has been highly competent with GE for many years. The main thing inhibiting the huge agricultural nations has been threats of trade restrictions, mainly in Europe where cultists have great influence. That's wearing thin and becoming ever less important in world markets. China may be the last impediment and it may soon give way. Back40 then cites a few more paragraphs from The Economist article and then offers this: bq. It seems clear to me that it is only a matter of time with genetic manipulation of all sorts, from food to humans to industrial materials. The risks of genetic engineering are inherently less than current practices, a point that is increasingly well understood. It is only the quasi-religious objections of nature mystics that stand in the way of progress. Their selective use of science to exaggerate risks without also using science to analyze current practice and emerging risks rings hollow and it is becoming increasingly difficult for policy makers to pander to them. Hopefully caution won't be thrown to the wind when repression stops since there are legitimate risks. Hopefully Science will be scientific and Reason will be reasonable. The unfortunate thing is that 30 years ago, Press Releases and the Media were discovered by well-meaning people who continued to develop these tools to promote their agenda. Nobody developed a dialogue with these people to check their science or look at the bigger picture. I see this happening today with the whole Global Warming flap - we are in a warming trend but this is an "all natural and organic one" -- the earth has a 400-year cycle of warming and cooling and what we do to the environment does little to affect it on a global long-view scale.