Separation of Science and State

A Renewed Call for Separation of Science & State Promoting Critical Thinking in a Prejudiced World

By Dallas McPheeters

10/19/2009

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Police State vs. Critical Society 

Prejudiced Thinking   

Fact-less Cynical, Hostile Dissenters silenced

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Critical Thinking   

10/19/2009

Considers both sides Welcomes debate Reserves judgment

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Global Warming Example 

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Political Rhetoric  The facts are in.  There’s no more debate  We Have Consensus Scientific Community Response  Oregon Institute of Science and Medicine has over 19,000 signatures of scientists who are not in consensus www.oism.org/pproject  Including two from UA and two from ASU

10/19/2009

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Consensus versus Science 

Michael Crichton, B.A. Anthropology, Harvard M.D. “Let's be clear: the work of science has nothing whatever to do with consensus. Consensus is the business of politics. Science, on the contrary, requires only one investigator who happens to be right, which means that he or she has results that are verifiable by reference to the real world. In science consensus is irrelevant. What is relevant is reproducible results. The greatest scientists in history are great precisely because they broke with the consensus…”

- American Review, ‘07

10/19/2009

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Tax Revenues Example 

Political Rhetoric 

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Rich don’t pay their fair share of taxes

Verifiable Facts 

10/19/2009

IRS.gov

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Available Options (Handout)

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Join Thinkers Anonymous   

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Blindly believe what we are told Nuke dissenters Engage in recreational thinking only.

Develop Critical Thinking Skills   

10/19/2009

Consider all sides Reserve judgment as long as possible www.criticalthinking.org All Human Rights Reserved :-)

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Review 

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Science and State should not be bedfellows (strange or otherwise).

Critical thinking skills should be encouraged, taught, and developed.

Don’t sell your winter clothes just yet.

Stay poor to avoid paying taxes.

Life is a math problem, and we have a calculator.

10/19/2009

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!ank y"!

Questions?

10/19/2009

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