I believe that the standards Dr. Carlson is trying to uphold are good. Fortunately he has a clearer and more forthright perspective than Feynman’s wishy-washy "...kind of believe..." position about honesty in science. Truth is a challenge for every generation. Although good science has a history of overthrowing established ideas it is unfortunate that the media, schools, universities and governments are sometimes tempted to use science as a power to promote ideologies useful to them rather than truth. Michael Crichton has a well done and rather humorous essay delivered to the California Institute of Technology on how small steps in the dishonest and careless uses of math and science over the years have progressed from self-delusion to (perhaps well-meaning) deception. Even worse, he describes the growing tendency in some circles of science to not allow a hearing for work that contradicts a favored ideology. (Link to and look under "speeches" for "Aliens Cause Global Warming."

In fact, there was a web based science club referred to by SAS that required potential new members to ascribe to a list of "the truth" before becoming members. The list was not based on the scientific method, the Feynman doctrine, Occam’s Razor; but rather upon a list of ideological beliefs - some of a which have scientific evidence and others that are still being contended. That’s the direction we must avoid.

I think scientific fraud and using science for convenient deception is a growing concern and it is vital that we get young people to appreciate that in science it is support for truth rather than support for ideology which is the guide. Thank-you.

Tim Kraemer

You are invited to visit my site "Electrogravitational Mechanics."

http://www.electrogravity.com

Respectfully,

Jerry E. Bayles

j.e.bayles@worldnet.att.net

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