I’m reblogging an interesting piece written by Paul Braterman on his blog site. It’s a commentary on the rather dismal state of science and politics as the US presidential race enters its final stretch (just 17 months to go, folks!). Here’s a brief clip: “Ted Cruz tells us that Galileo was condemned for denying that the Earth was flat. But the trial was in 1633, 141 years after Columbus had sailed to America, 111 years after Magellan’s expedition completed the first circumnavigation of the globe…” No, Senator Cruz, Galileo was not spending his time denying the “Flat Earth” theory. Instead, the Church was denying Galileo’s idea that our planet circles the sun. Ah, but those are just facts. Misleading angry rhetoric is what America’s new Science Guy really wants.
Pope Francis’ Coat of Arms
Well, perhaps not quite a scientist, but Pope Francis really does have, on his CV, a chemistry lab technician’s diploma and related work experience. And Rick Santorum is not quite a Senator, either, more of an ex-Senator, having lost his seat in 2006, but nonetheless a candidate (yet again) for the Presidency of the United States.
Pope Francis also worked for a while as a nightclub bouncer. Nothing to do with the matter in hand, but I thought I’d mention it.
One further irony is that Santorum is a devout Catholic, who describes Catholicism as the source of his politics, and attends Mass almost daily.
Galileo Galilei, age 60, by Ottavio Leoni
As Santorum should know, Popes have for quite a while had a reasonably good record of listening to scientists. There was, of course, that unfortunate business of Galileo, but that…
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The Mountain Mystery 