‘Pure Science’

Da Vinci Studies - by .:: LINUZ ::.

ABC Breakfast News lead this morning with Barack Obama’s executive order to allow the US government to fund embryonic stem cell research. ABC News story here, the video will possibly be here later today.)

Disappointingly, the story was cast as an ’science v. ideology’ issue, rather than as the debate between those who oppose embryonic stem cell research for ethical/ideological reasons, and those who support embryonic stem cell research for ethical/ideological reasons.

Since the ABC are ‘embracing’ Media2.0, I sent them this email in response,

‘Pure Science’, ’separating Science and ideology’ – I was very disappointed by your reporting of the change in embryonic stem cell research legislation in the USA.

No knowledge, including scientific knowledge is free from ideology. It is an ideology to hold that somehow scientific knowledge is ‘more pure’ than other sources or forms of knowledge.

The ethical questions raised by this particular realm of scientific experimentation are much too significant to be brushed off by the rhetoric of ’science v. ideology’.

Do you agree that science is driven by ideology? (Political, ethical, …)

How would you have expressed your response to ABC News Breakfast?