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Objective truths exist outside of your perception of reality, such as the value
of pi; E= m c 2; Earths rate of rotation; and that carbon dioxide and
methane are greenhouse gases. These statements can be verified by
anybody, at any time, and at any place. And they are true, whether or not
you believe in them.
Meanwhile, personal truths are what you may hold dear, but have no real
way of convincing others who disagree, except by heated argument,
coercion or by force. These are the foundations of most peoples opinions.
Is Jesus your savior? Is Mohammad Gods last prophet on Earth? Should
the government support poor people? Is Beyonc a cultural queen? Kirk or
Picard? Differences in opinion define the cultural diversity of a nation, and
should be cherished in any free society. You dont have to like gay
marriage. Nobody will ever force you to gay-marry. But to create a law
preventing fellow citizens from doing so is to force your personal truths on
others. Political attempts to require that others share your personal truths
are, in their limit, dictatorships.
Note further that in science, conformity is anathema to success. The
persistent accusations that we are all trying to agree with one another is
laughable to scientists attempting to advance their careers. The best way to
get famous in your own lifetime is to pose an idea that is counter to
prevailing research and which ultimately earns a consistency of
observations and experiment. This ensures healthy disagreement at all
times while working on the bleeding edge of discovery.
In 1863, a year when he clearly had more pressing matters to attend to,
Abraham Lincoln the first Republican president signed into existence
the National Academy of Sciences, based on an Act of Congress. This
august body would provide independent, objective advice to the nation on
matters relating to science and technology.
Today, other government agencies with scientific missions serve similar
purpose, including NASA, which explores space and aeronautics; NIST,
which explores standards of scientific measurement, on which all other
measurements are based; DOE, which explores energy in all usable forms;
and NOAA, which explores Earths weather and climate.
These centers of research, as well as other trusted sources of published
science, can empower politicians in ways that lead to enlightened and
informed governance. But this wont happen until the people in charge, and
the people who vote for them, come to understand how and why science
works.
Neil deGrasse Tyson, author of Space Chronicles: Facing the Ultimate
Frontier, is an astrophysicist with the American Museum of Natural History.
His radio show StarTalk became the first ever science-based talk show on
television, now in its second season with National Geographic Channel.
Follow Neil deGrasse Tyson on Twitter: www.twitter.com/neiltyson
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Scientific Method