Science Prison

by wjw on June 23, 2013

My sometime student and terrific writer Kim Jollow Zimring has a great idea.

(Inspired, by the way, by the legislator who opined that global warming was caused by wind farms, because the giant turbines stole the cooling breezes.)

She suggested that everyone in this country be sentenced to Science Prison, and that the only way to get out was to pass a test on basic science.

Gotta say, it sounds like a better idea all the time.

Devlin du GEnie June 23, 2013 at 5:07 pm: Have you seen the Pew Research Center quiz?

The results are enlightening in a dark, gloomy, depressing way.
DensityDuck June 23, 2013 at 10:05 pm: Note that “basic science” spent many years being wrong about about aether flow, spontaneous generation, Lamarckian evolution, and bloodletting.
John F. MacMichael June 23, 2013 at 11:24 pm: I seem to recall that Heinlein had some suggestions along these lines including a voting machine that would require you to solve a quadratic equation before casting a ballot.
wjw June 24, 2013 at 2:46 am: D.D., I think we’ve got better at science since then.

Must admit I would fail the Heinlein test. Though if it would get me out if =prison= . . .
Ralf The Dog. June 24, 2013 at 4:21 pm: RE: Solving a quadratic to get out of jail,

Being profoundly dyslexic, I always had a problem in math class. That said, I could solve a quadratic in my sleep. Unfortunately for my grades, my math professors kept waking me up during the tests.

I will make a point of looking up Kim Jollow Zimring on Amazon.
Dave Bishop June 25, 2013 at 8:29 am: I think that basic science is probably way beyond most politicians, legislators, businessmen etc. In my view they all need, what I would call, ‘limits training’. They all seem to believe that the planet’s resources, and its capacity to absorb crap, are limitless. So, if one of them persisted in ignoring the blatantly obvious planetary limits he/she would be chained to a desk on which there would be a quart jug full of of water and an empty pint jug. The trainee would then be instructed to get all of the contents of the quart jug into the pint jug without spilling any. He/she would not be unchained until the task had been accomplished.
DensityDuck June 25, 2013 at 9:51 pm: ” The trainee would then be instructed to get all of the contents of the quart jug into the pint jug without spilling any.”

Pour in a little bit, drink it, repeat until finished.

Then do a web search for “knot, Gordian”.
DensityDuck June 25, 2013 at 9:52 pm: WJW, everyone thinks they’re the epitome of technological and scientific brilliance. Then it turns out they’re drinking out of cups made from lead.