Your Man Friday’s Ideas: Scientific Scare Words
Science frightens many people. This may partially be because of fear of the unknown, for people aren’t being educated in the fundamentals of science. Furthermore, power is inherently frightening, and demonstrations of the power of science include some horrific applications, such as nuclear weapons. And so certain misunderstood words associated with every field of science now have acquired a pejorative connotation. These words are rhetorically useful to those who wish to sway our emotions and sell us some product or recruit us to some fashionable cause.
Man Friday links here: http://kenstange.com/yourmanfriday/?p=1534
