John
While I agree with you about the damage that shallow, business school notions of accountability as adopted by (and often corrupt) politicians that have undermined modern science, I disagree with your "scientific isolationist" stance (I don't mean to be insulting, btw).
Since Earth is the only Planet we live on, we cannot separate our science from society at large. Society requires our services to provide the resources required, and warn it of risks imposed on it by perfectly normal geological processes. I don't think we have the choice of retreating to the Ivory Tower. Your "toxic mix" of science and politics is unavoidable in fields such as seismology, hydrology, meteorloogy, volcanology, landslides etc. and society at large provides funding for research in those areas.
The real tragedy is that there is no appreciation of society and its political leaders of the importance of the geosciences until disaster and catastrophe occur. After the Haiti earthquake there was tremendous public interest in the event and a thirst for explanations of what happened. Being close to the subject. I gave countless interviews to the media on the subject and three public lectures. It saddened me that it needed a catastrophe of this magnitude to get society's attention, but it was also an opportunity. The neighboring Dominican Republic is equally if not at more, at risk of seismic catastrophe. If we geoscientist push hard enough , we might be able to get a seismic emergency plan to the attention of the politicos. We are continuing to to this.
I agree that it science and politics are toxic, but anything in politics is toxic. In my opinion, it is unavoidable. But we have to engage. Society gives us the money for research, so they want answers, and we have a duty to to give it to them the answers that they want.
John, in summary , I think we ought to be MORE engaged in society. I always admire and am amazed by the way the Astronomical community gets more public and private support than us , even though there is no practical impact on society. I think we need to do more.
Cheers
Gren
Grenville Draper
Professor, Department of Earth and Environment
Associate Director of Liberal Studies
Fellow of the FIU Honors College
Florida International University
Miami, FL 33199
305-348-3087
________________________________________
From: Tectonics & structural geology discussion list [[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of John F. Dewey [[log in to unmask]]
Sent: Thursday, June 24, 2010 5:15 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: about an attack to Science in Italy
Sorry Umberto and colleagues, I accidentally pressed the SEND button
before finishing the email. I blame the very fine Amarone that I am
drinking this evening.
Dear Umberto,
Thank you for your thoughtful and reasoned analysis for which I am
very grateful in sorting out some of the confusion. I, also, would
like to know the location and qualifications of Matteo Levi. There is
a very distinguished and brilliant Italian Abruzzi film man of this
name. Could it be he?
Again, when science, politics, and law become entangled, we have a
toxic mix. Alan Gibbs and Dennis Brown have hit the nail on the head.
When scientists are asked to give their "official" considered views
and opinion, they had better be very careful in what they say. They
would do well to keep out of making prognoses and trying to help the
cowboys that inhabit the halls of government. My advice is for
serious scientists to stick to serious science and to avoid the
seductive route to fine hotels, titles, and running things. Keep a
low profile and enjoy your science. Especially, do not become
involved in judging your fellow scientists, the modern trend in
international bureaucracy. Much of modern science is forgetting its
intellectual and scholarly roots.
Best wishes,
John Dewey
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