Physicist Lawrence Krauss explains to Canadian science communicators: There are NOT two sides to a story (just his side?)

by Denyse O'Leary

Particle physicist Lawrence M. Krauss* of the School of Earth and Space Exploration at Arizona State University, addressed the gathering at the Canadian Science Writers' Association 2009 conference in Sudbury,

I made some notes of Dr. Krauss's remarks in "Star Trek Physics" in a darkened cavern, the Inco Cave at Science North, though I do not have a transcript.

His talk was billed Star Trek Physics, and the PowerPoint revealed physics bloopers spotted in Star Trek, the X-files, and other film resources.

It was certainly entertaining, but not riveting, at least for me. Anyone who gets their physics from sources clearly labelled science fiction or UFOlogy, well ...

But Dr. Krauss had advice for science communicators:

Read the rest here:

Comments

[L. Krauss]

Needless to say, Ms. O'Leary misunderstood, or mis-represented much of what I said.. but I now realize the reason for this, as it seemed she was at the wrong meeting. It was for science writers and not religious writers, which, as far as I can tell from her blog, is what she is. Her conceptions of science, and her understanding of modern issues, seems very confused

L. Krauss

[Denyse O'Leary]

As I pointed out in a recent post, it was Krauss who brought up a lot of dreck about religion in his talk Sunday night - after I had listened to real science all morning at Dynamic Earth!

When we went down to the mine, the SNO and SNO Plus labs the following Tuesday, no one talked about religion at all.

In fact, those scientists, unlike Krauss were humble in the face of the facts, and never claimed that they knew all that he claims to knows about the cosmos, as well as government, school systems, et cetera.

They certainly restored my faith in science.

Krauss isn't fooling anyone. That's why he grouses that Canada is beginning to fear science (= fear listening to people like him instead of people like the SNO Plus physicists).

[lawrence krauss]

It is very unfortunate to see the kind of emotional reaction that ms o'leary had to a talk that was meant to demonstrate what we are learning about the universe. She seems so fixated on religion that she cannot seem to focus on the science. Religion has absolutely nothing to do with science, and if she could honestly report the facts she would do herself and her readers a great service. I am very surprised and disappointed as I had assumed that all of the people at the meeting were science communicators.. namely interested in science communication, and I spent a fair amount of time trying to specifically discuss inherent tensions in science reporting, and then explain what he have been learning about the universe.. and even pointed out the key things we don't understand.. I had not met ms o'leary before but she does a disservice to journalism by her reporting.

L. Krauss

[thinkingabovemypaygrade]

Ms. O'Leary, some scientists who have an official religious faith, and people like me---get condescended to - regularly - by scientists (and their fans) who choose to disallow those who see the hand and touch of GOD on the DNA molecule, the universe, their child's face...

I am not totally sure if Mr. Krauss is in this class---but he does seem to blur science with a kind of "science faith"///