I had heard about that proposal by the Canadians to neuter science. I really didn’t think such a thing could possibly get enough backing. Maybe you’re right; if we’re losing ground such as that which should be a no-brainer to keep, we’re going backwards, not forwards, and we are indeed screwed.

American author Charles Pierce wrote a book, Idiot America that talks about how, while there have always been kooks and snake oil salesmen, we used to be better at discerning nonsense. TV reporting and its absurd attempts to provide “balance” usually feature two “experts” (read: mouthpieces) for two polar views. Each gets the same air time of roughly three minutes; each occupies the same amount of screen space (giving the illusion of parity), usually side-by-side.

The “moderator” never seriously debunks what either side says (usually for fear of alienating the guests and over time being unable to procure more). In fact, once both views are presented, it’s cut to commercial and then return for a new segment. Viewers walk away with the impression both views are equal. They often aren’t.

The Canadian National Science Foundation just declared that there shall be no more science for science sake. All research must now be in clear, direct aid of society or business. This is the opposite of progress; this is the encroachment of dark ages. We live in an age were politicians will announce, “We must stand up to the experts.”

I just don’t see how all this downward momentum turns around. There just aren’t enough of us to stay the decline.

Now I’m really gonna have to see if I can get “Bounded in a Nutshell” or risk not even finishing last!

Love the Wile E. Coyote image!

As for hope: I keep cycling between hope and despair. I see a lot of people taking the time trying to help debunk the misinformation (for instance here). This gives me hope that perhaps, just perhaps, we may prove that we’re not as stupid as we are dumb looking after all.

That said, totally down with the problems of obsessive growth (although framing it as a thermodynamics problem seems a new wrinkle with which I’m not entirely sure I’d agree … have to ponder that one a bit). The last 100 years or so have seen a growth rate that is utterly without precedent in human history. It is completely unsustainable from just a resources point of view; a huge crash awaits in our future. There remains no “if” question… the only questions are “when” and “what the hell are we going to do other than die by the billions?”

The more you look into the issues of modern human society, the more you realize that we drove off the cliff years ago. We’re like Wiley Coyote in the Road Runner cartoons… hanging in midair just waiting for the recognition, “Oh, yeah…. gravity!”

I’ve stopped believing there is much hope of a way out. I’m just going to fiddle while Rome burns, just going to keep drinking at the bar until this Titanic sinks. It’s entirely possible that the human race will prove itself just barely smart enough to completely wipe itself out.