A good speech on science and politics - and why they shouldn't mix

[GenePirate]

GenePirate,

I don't disagree with anything you said. I don't know much about Michael Crichton as a person and I don't think any of what you shared about him came through in the speech so I feel it could be viewed separately from that. Your rivals may have a good idea every now and then.

Do I think earth is an anomally in a space without bounds? No. Have I seen a lot of evidence to prove there is life out there? No, I just think it's beyond our current capabilities like all the oceanic species that have lived too deep for us to discover for so long amongst other things.

I'm not a scientist, yet, but I don't think he implicated all scientists by his comments. Just the capitalist scientists who's primary concern is money, not the ones who love science and thrive off of knowledge and discovery. The "scientists" he named are celebrities with a degree in science.

Good points, David. I appreciate a good discussion. It can get a bit tedious when it appears that scientists are being blamed for all of the world's ills. But, I agree, there are mercenaries out there that give Science a bad name.

In all truthfulness, I was waiting for Crichton to meet with some "terrible untimely accident" after State of Fear came out. It was a risky piece of work in times like these, and I applaud it--credit where credit is due, always.