The Paranoid Style in American Science


	The Paranoid Style in American Science

Djiezes

5-3-2008 6:37 AM

290 views

tags:

science, denialism, us, usa, skepticism, uncertainty, ideology

1 Comment |

Add a Comment

5-4-2008 10:35 AM

papananook

hmmm, sounds like a coupla people here at CM--i won't embarrass them by naming--you know who you are! Or do you?

Login to Comment. Not a member yet? Sign up

Human-racism and biopolitics in SF

How to be a Christian Darwinist (interview)

Doctors Find Meditation Affects Your Body

Former state science director sues over in...

Resource Websites from PostHuman.com

Pretty Damn Goulish Methinks

More clips from Djiezes

Open Source Data Recovery Tools

80 How-To Sites Worth Bookmarking

The Limits of fMRI and Science Journalism

Today's Top Clips

visit the Top Clips page

View the Top Clips from May 3, 2008

Embed This Clip In Your Site...

<div style="margin: 12px 0px; font-family: arial; color: #333333; background: #ffffff; border: solid 4px #e5e5e5; width: 100%; clear: left;"><div class="CM_CTB_Content_Wrap" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;background-color: #ffffff;"><div style="border-bottom: solid 1px #dcdcdc; white-space: nowrap; margin-bottom: 8px; background-color: #eeeeee ;background-image: url(http://clipmarks.com/images/source-bg.gif); background-repeat: repeat-x; height: 24px; line-height: 24px; vertical-align: middle; padding-bottom: 4px; color: #666666; font-size: 10px;" ><a href="http://clipmarks.com/clip-to-blog/" title="see clips that are hot right now"><img src="http://content.clipmarks.com/blog_embed/75774c0b-e9a9-4f89-ace3-58e05c55f822/87A956E5-2ACA-4C99-9769-4E411903DCDD/" alt="" width="19" height="19" border="0" style="vertical-align: middle; margin: 0px 4px; display: inline; border: none; float:none;" /></a>clipped from <a title="http://www.slate.com/id/2189178/entry/2189179" href="http://www.slate.com/id/2189178/entry/2189179" style="font-size: 11px;">www.slate.com</a></div><blockquote style="text-align: left; padding: 0px 8px; margin: 4px 0px 8px 0px; background: transparent; border: none;" cite="http://www.slate.com/id/2189178/entry/2189179"><H1>The Paranoid Style in American Science</H1></blockquote><div style="height: 2px; font-size: 2px; background: #dcdcdc; border-bottom: solid 1px #f5f5f5; margin: 2px 4px;"></div><blockquote style="text-align: left; padding: 0px 8px; margin: 4px 0px 8px 0px; background: transparent; border: none;" cite="http://www.slate.com/id/2189178/entry/2189179"><EM>This is the first installment of a three-part series on radical skepticism and the rise of conspiratorial thinking about science.</EM></blockquote><div style="height: 2px; font-size: 2px; background: #dcdcdc; border-bottom: solid 1px #f5f5f5; margin: 2px 4px;"></div><blockquote style="text-align: left; padding: 0px 8px; margin: 4px 0px 8px 0px; background: transparent; border: none;" cite="http://www.slate.com/id/2189178/entry/2189179"><DIV class="multipart_links"><DIV class="multipart_link_header"><SPAN class="multipart_dept">Science</SPAN><BR />entries</DIV><A href="http://www.slate.com/id/2189178/entry/2189179/" class="multipart_current">1</A><A href="http://www.slate.com/id/2189178/entry/2189206/">2</A><A href="http://www.slate.com/id/2189178/entry/2189361/">3</A><DIV class="clearing"></DIV></DIV></blockquote><div style="height: 2px; font-size: 2px; background: #dcdcdc; border-bottom: solid 1px #f5f5f5; margin: 2px 4px;"></div><blockquote style="text-align: left; padding: 0px 8px; margin: 4px 0px 8px 0px; background: transparent; border: none;" cite="http://www.slate.com/id/2189178/entry/2189179">Like the recent crop of global-warming skeptics, AIDS denialists, and biotech activists, Berlinski uses doubt as a weapon against the academy—he's more concerned with what we don't know than what we do. He uses <EM>uncertainty</EM> to challenge the scientific consensus; he points to the evidence <EM>that</EM> <EM>isn't there</EM> and seeks out the things that <EM>can't be proved</EM>. In its extreme and ideological form, this contrarian approach to science can turn into a form of paranoia—a state of permanent suspicion and outrage.</blockquote></div><div style="margin: 0px 6px 6px 4px;"><table style="font-size: 11px;border-spacing: 0px;padding: 0px;" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%"><tr><td style="background:transparent;border-width:0px;padding:0px;">&nbsp;</td><td align="right" style="background:transparent;border-width:0px;padding:0px;width:107px" width="107"><a href="http://clipmarks.com/share/87A956E5-2ACA-4C99-9769-4E411903DCDD/blog/" title="blog or email this clip"><img src="http://content6.clipmarks.com/images/c2b-foot.png" border="0" alt="blog it" width="107" height="17" style="border-width:0px;padding:0px;margin:0px;" /></a></td></tr></table></div></div>