Is Science Controversial?

[AlyKen]

I’m an administrator on a science board for moms and was looking for science news to post. I was trying not to cause arguments or too much debate, so I was having a hard time finding articles. It made me wonder if science is controversial in general?

In this day and age we have a lot of controversial science topics. Should stem cells be used in research? Is global warming caused by humans and can we prevent it? What kinds of alternative energy sources can we use? How can we keep our food supply safe?

A lot of “mommy” topics associated with science are also the causes of many an argument or debate. Many mothers do not vaccinate their children because they believe it causes autism. Others refrain from vaccines because they don’t want their child exposed to a live attenuated virus, even though this type of vaccine produces a longer-lasting response.

Other “mommy” science issues involve types of bottles. People are deathly afraid of exposing their children to BPA or phthalates even though the parents themselves were probably exposed to such chemicals as a child.

Looking back at science throughout history, one can examine how controversial Copernicus and Galileo were. Oh no! The Earth isn’t the center of the Universe! People probably thought that Pasteur was crazy when he said that microbes weren’t present due to spontaneous generation.  Along those lines, how did Robert Hooke handle the public and the church when he published his discovery of the first cell?

What do you think? Is science inherently controversial?

[babysyoungmom1]

Dec. 31, 2008 at 12:50 PM

Yes it is,It can either prove,disprove,or shake up people's religious or moral beliefs.Even though the "evidence" may be as clear as day.....

[sunmoonstars]

Dec. 31, 2008 at 2:29 PM

Yes I think it can be very controversial.  Because people sue science to prove or disprove facts about thingsvery close to our hearts (our kids and other stuff in our lives).

And there is more than one way to look at the data, which brings disagreements, and sometimes controversy!  And really, on a site of all moms, everything is controversial LOL