How Scientists Think

It is obvious from comments I see on blogs and in newspapers that the general public doesn’t really understand the scientific method nor the scientific mindset.  In a recent Realclimate.org blog post  regarding the Guardian Newspaper’s coverage of the Climate Research Unit email hack, the following comment by Dr. Steve Easterbrook sheds light into the mind of a scientist.  Dr. Easterbrook is a professor of computer science at the University of Toronto who is using his computer skills to address the challenges of climate change. Dr. Easterbrook has consented to the use of his comments here.

Taking the Money for Grant(ed) – Part II

In Part I, I addressed the following two claims:

1)  Scientists are getting rich from research grants!

2)  Scientists holding an anti-AGW viewpoint cannot get funding! 

I then asked scientists from around the world to relate their experiences and if they were getting rich from grant funding.  Since Part I, I also did a little more digging and came up with some important information.  That information as well as a few examples from those that commented appear below.

Taking the Money for Grant(ed) – Part I

Update 03/22/2010: Part II now available

Two of the more dubious claims related to climate research funding are:

1)  Scientists are getting rich from research grants!

2)  Scientists holding an anti-AGW viewpoint cannot get funding! 

A Side of Rat Feces? (A History Lesson)

Government as a Guardian “… of the people, by the people, [and] for the people”

Guest post by Kelly A. Mandia, Lecturer of History, St. Joseph’s College, NY.

The reason there are little to no rat feces and vermin parts in the food you are putting into your mouth every day is due to government oversight.  Do you think the food packing industry is looking out for you?  Those who bemoan government regulation as the antithesis to capitalism (e.g. carbon emission reductions) have failed to understand the history and full scope of this issue.  Historically there’s been a failure on the part of business to provide their goods and services for the good of the people and for its employees, while in the late 19^th century, justifying their unethical practices with such “social theories” as the Iron Law of Wages and Social Darwinism.  There are many instances, a few which I will outline, where government has stepped in to serve as a “guardian of the people” in order to stop businesses from hurting – and in some cases killing – members of its citizenry.