剋裏斯·穆尼,《科學進步》雜誌特約編輯,其著作《共和黨人對戰科學》和《暴風世界:颶風、政治、及全球變暖論戰》都曾登上《紐約時報》暢銷榜。穆尼在許多齣版物上發錶作品,包括Wired、Slate和The American Prospect。他現居新澤西州普林斯頓。
In his famous 1959 Rede lecture at Cambridge University, the scientifically-trained novelist C.P. Snow described science and the humanities as "two cultures," separated by a "gulf of mutual incomprehension." And the humanists had all the cultural power—the low prestige of science, Snow argued, left Western leaders too little educated in scientific subjects that were increasingly central to world problems: the elementary physics behind nuclear weapons, for instance, or the basics of plant science needed to feed the world's growing population.
Now, Chris Mooney and Sheril Kirshenbaum, a journalist-scientist team, offer an updated "two cultures" polemic for America in the 21st century. Just as in Snow's time, some of our gravest challenges—climate change, the energy crisis, national economic competitiveness—and gravest threats--global pandemics, nuclear proliferation—have fundamentally scientific underpinnings. Yet we still live in a culture that rarely takes science seriously or has it on the radar.
For every five hours of cable news, less than a minute is devoted to science; 46 percent of Americans reject evolution and think the Earth is less than 10,000 years old; the number of newspapers with weekly science sections has shrunken by two-thirds over the past several decades. The public is polarized over climate change—an issue where political party affiliation determines one's view of reality—and in dangerous retreat from childhood vaccinations. Meanwhile, only 18 percent of Americans have even met a scientist to begin with; more than half can't name a living scientist role model.
For this dismaying situation, Mooney and Kirshenbaum don't let anyone off the hook. They highlight the anti-intellectual tendencies of the American public (and particularly the politicians and journalists who are supposed to serve it), but also challenge the scientists themselves, who despite the best of intentions have often failed to communicate about their work effectively to a broad public—and so have ceded their critical place in the public sphere to religious and commercial propagandists.
A plea for enhanced scientific literacy, Unscientific America urges those who care about the place of science in our society to take unprecedented action. We must begin to train a small army of ambassadors who can translate science's message and make it relevant to the media, to politicians, and to the public in the broadest sense. An impassioned call to arms worthy of Snow's original manifesto, this book lays the groundwork for reintegrating science into the public discourse--before it's too late.
發表於2024-11-24
Unscientific America 2024 pdf epub mobi 電子書 下載
縱觀本書,我感受到作者對科學群體強烈的不滿。雖然也情有可原,學術、生存的擔子太重瞭,科普的難度太大瞭。但說到底,科學傳播的不理想,科學群體要承擔主要責任。 我們問科學離我們有多遠,倒不如問問承載科學的這些個人,離大眾有多遠? 不需要說彆人,檢討我自己就夠瞭。 ...
評分 評分這是一本約一百頁的小冊子,我們每一個人都可以毫不費力的把它看完。 希望更多的人關注這個問題吧。 請大傢想一想,在我們的生活中,你在哪裏見到過科學內容,科學話題? 科學在美國的傳播睏難重重,在國內情況更是不容樂觀。即便有一些措施,但收效甚微...
評分本文發錶於南方都市報2012-02-26 南方閱讀 科學 這本小冊子有個嚇人的原名:Unscientific American。著名的科學雜誌《科學美國人》加上一個不祥的un,讓人想起五十年代美國肆虐一時的“Un-American”,麥卡锡主義的非美委員會。 不錯,這本書由兩個美國作者閤作完成,可不...
評分這本書中另外一個我關注的問題就是宗教和科學的關係。作者提到瞭新無神論者,就是用相對激進的方式傳播無神論的人們。比如為Freedoom from Religion Foundation疾呼的理查德·道金斯,比如喜歡罵上帝的丁門慶( Tim Minchin )。作者對他們的態度是,認為他們在幫倒忙。而且作...
圖書標籤: 科學
Unscientific America 2024 pdf epub mobi 電子書 下載