SCIENCE

It is overcast and cool [55F]. The little chickens sure don't mind it. They came roaring out of their coop this Morning. They greet the day with great excitement. They are six weeks old now and on the threshhold of being real chickens.

This may be a short blog. We are going to St. Cloud today. We are going to the Chinese grocery store to buy some jasmine rice. It comes in, I think, 40 pound bags. It is a nice addition to our larder. We will go out and eat and poke around a little.

Since I commented on religion, I thought I should comment on one of the other institutions of society. This one is supposed to protect us from irrational beliefs; Science.

Science, in many ways, has become a religion. It is imbued with beliefs that are merely supported by the herd mentality, status, power and money.

I acknowledge that pure science exist in universities and labs all over the Earth; however, the science that shapes government policy, and the thinking of the people, is often corrupted by money, status and power. It is used to manipulate and exploit the people.

One can see the herd mentality, power, status and money operating in every field. In fields close to my experience, psychology, sociology, and psychotherapy, I have read studies that came to conclusions based on inadequate, sample selection, and sizes and worse, seemed to be designed to reinforce what the researchers already believed. In whatever, the popular wave of the moment, there would be a plethora of studies coming out that supported the current belief. Five years later, there may be a whole new batch of studies, supporting a new belief that contradicts the earlier one.

This same thing happens in medicine, nutrition and other aspects of health management. Billions of dollars have been made, based on the faulty research, of cholesterol and its role in cardio-vascular disease. This same faulty research profoundly affected diets. Remember when we weren't suppose to eat butter or eggs? I never fell for that one. I am not claiming perfection. I know I have my blind spots and I am not immune to manipulation.

Anthropology and archeology should be immune, right? Wrong. I minored in anthropology and almost had enough credits for a major. I loved it, but even then, it was obvious that many lines of questioning were stymied by status. Belief and the herd mentality are very powerful conditions. It is difficult for a young researcher to go against his/her mentor and more difficult, to get published, in the journals that make a difference. Some beliefs, are so set in stone, that the observer does not recognize the shallowness of their support.

Okay, how about the hard sciences; physics, chemistry, mathematics etc.? Wherever, there is money to be made, there is the chance of corruption. Have you watched the evening news? Have you noticed the drug ads? Is this chemistry? Is this healing or exploitation?

Science is not immune from money, power and ego.

I intend this to be an introduction for further discussion. I would welcome comments and would be happy to reply. It will be hard to give up our favorite beliefs; but we can.

I am off to St Cloud. Have a great day!

Love and Peace, Gregg