All Knowledge is Equal?

David Brooks is a 'conservative'-leaning news paper columnist in the United States.  But he seems to me to be genuinely thoughtful about most matters.  For example, in the face of pending government budget cuts, he raises a concern about moves to un-fund/de-fund(?) science-related undertakings.

• "People are complicated. We each have multiple selves, which emerge or don’t depending on context. If we’re going to address problems, we need to understand the contexts and how these tendencies emerge or don’t emerge. We need to design policies around that knowledge. Cutting off financing for this sort of research now is like cutting off navigation financing just as Christopher Columbus hit the shoreline of the New World." (July 7, 2011)

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In like manner, Peter McKnight, in the Vancouver Sun, writes about anti-scientific -- not to mention immoral -- examples within the current 'conservative' Harper government in Canada. Read More

In the realm of the press for 'lower taxation' and the cutting of program spending, it is interesting to see the public policy themes that emerge.  Unfortunately, the choices are not without consequences.