My dilemma is that when the right is so anti-science, the left should be a bastion for it. We can’t afford the rise of anti-technology sentiment on the left. The streak was always there(crystal healing, the OG anti vaxxers, anti gmo), and now is the worst time for a comeback.
A rich person using government funds to fulfill NASA objectives is not the same as a rich person owning a yacht, but these quips now frequently equate and attack both.
Disclaimer: I am a huge advocate for the sciences personally and politically, but I do think there’s reason to be cautious around new technology, especially with how powerful some new technologies are.
My dilemma is that when the right is so anti-science, the left should be a bastion for it.
I like the sentiment, but I don’t think we should get into the practice of defining political parties or stances as being in opposition to another party’s views. That’s basically how the right got so out of touch; they don’t have a coherent political or philosophical stance on anything beyond “if the libs think it’s good, it must be bad!” Progressives need to be better than that.
We can’t afford the rise of anti-technology sentiment on the left.
It’s not just rising; it’s a fact of human nature that people are scared of change, especially if it involves new science or technology that they do not understand. Even people that are politically and socially progressive struggle with this when it comes to technology and science. Hell, I have an advanced degree in Chemical Engineering and I teach chemistry at a community college, and even I struggle with deciding if certain technologies and trends are going to end up being harmful to my family or humanity as a whole (and I understand most of the fundamental principles behind these issues). So, while I (like you) wish the left was more of a champion for science, I understand why individual people aren’t. I also think that there’s a need to be careful around new technologies right now, as humanity has a well documented history of letting our reach exceed our grasp, and our knowledge around potentially dangerous areas like genetic engineering, neurology, environmental science, AI, etc. is roughly equivalent to a 4-year-old’s knowledge of a handgun.
That said, I don’t think this particular post is really anti-science so much as it’s attacking the personal use of spacecraft for frivolous ends like the space tourism of Richard Branson, Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk, etc. Personally, I’m thankful that Musk was able to provide an impetus for electric cars becoming more mainstream and the use of private companies to push Earth-to-orbit spaceflight into a seeming renaissance, but I can do without billionaires trying to broadcast their importance to the world by buying rides on rocket ships for no reason. Or, you know, billionaires in general.
My dilemma is that when the right is so anti-science, the left should be a bastion for it. We can’t afford the rise of anti-technology sentiment on the left. The streak was always there(crystal healing, the OG anti vaxxers, anti gmo), and now is the worst time for a comeback.
A rich person using government funds to fulfill NASA objectives is not the same as a rich person owning a yacht, but these quips now frequently equate and attack both.
Disclaimer: I am a huge advocate for the sciences personally and politically, but I do think there’s reason to be cautious around new technology, especially with how powerful some new technologies are.
I like the sentiment, but I don’t think we should get into the practice of defining political parties or stances as being in opposition to another party’s views. That’s basically how the right got so out of touch; they don’t have a coherent political or philosophical stance on anything beyond “if the libs think it’s good, it must be bad!” Progressives need to be better than that.
It’s not just rising; it’s a fact of human nature that people are scared of change, especially if it involves new science or technology that they do not understand. Even people that are politically and socially progressive struggle with this when it comes to technology and science. Hell, I have an advanced degree in Chemical Engineering and I teach chemistry at a community college, and even I struggle with deciding if certain technologies and trends are going to end up being harmful to my family or humanity as a whole (and I understand most of the fundamental principles behind these issues). So, while I (like you) wish the left was more of a champion for science, I understand why individual people aren’t. I also think that there’s a need to be careful around new technologies right now, as humanity has a well documented history of letting our reach exceed our grasp, and our knowledge around potentially dangerous areas like genetic engineering, neurology, environmental science, AI, etc. is roughly equivalent to a 4-year-old’s knowledge of a handgun.
That said, I don’t think this particular post is really anti-science so much as it’s attacking the personal use of spacecraft for frivolous ends like the space tourism of Richard Branson, Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk, etc. Personally, I’m thankful that Musk was able to provide an impetus for electric cars becoming more mainstream and the use of private companies to push Earth-to-orbit spaceflight into a seeming renaissance, but I can do without billionaires trying to broadcast their importance to the world by buying rides on rocket ships for no reason. Or, you know, billionaires in general.