The public arena has grown hostile to reason
I went to hear Chris Mooney on his book tour on Sunday, at dear Ravenna Third Place, which I have known since before it was born. He mentioned that he’d heard Al Gore was going to do a book about the war on reason, and sure enough. I’ve always found Gore too conservative in many ways, but on the other hand I’ve always liked his, shall we say, anti-anti-intellectualism, or ‘wonkishness’ as it’s usually called. Wonkishness is a good thing.
As described by editor Scott Moyers, the book is a meditation on how “the public arena has grown more hostile to reason,” and how solving problems such as global warming is impeded by a political culture with a pervasive “unwillingness to let facts drive decisions.”
Boringly, the rest of the article talks about nothing but what all this means for various people’s presidential plans, but that one sentence heralds what could be a good and much-needed book, one to put on the shelf next to The Republican War on Science – and, I suppose, that other book that is a meditation on how the public arena has grown more hostile to reason.
I think Gore would be better off acting as a voice of reason, rather than re-entering politics.
In the long term, he will have more influence.
I agree though, that politicians in bith the USA and here are leaning towards what the ghastly [misogynist epithet deleted] from Grantham called “conviction politics” – otherwise known as a policy that we beleive in, with no supporting eveidence.
I’ve always found Gore too conservative in many ways…
Did you know that Gore said this during the 2000 campaign?
I affirm my faith when I’m asked about it, but I always try to do so in a way that communicates absolute respect not only for people who worship in a different way, but just as much respect for those who do not believe in God, who are atheists. Atheists have just as much of a right to the public discourse as people of any religious faith in this country. And I think we have got to really stand and, if necessary, fight for that principle.
No, I didn’t, and I’m staggered. Mr WWJD said that? That’s surprising.
I still find Gore too conservative, but a book defending reason does a lot to compensate (she said generously).
Some Baptists, like Gore, still follow their old tradition of religious freedom for everone.
Interesting. From the number of people talking about ‘An Inconvenient Truth’ here in outer Strylia, you get the impression that the man is an extremely effective demagogue.