Why I Will March for Science

On April 22, people across America will take to the streets in support of science. I will be one of them. (I already designed my geeky sign, shown above !) Milwaukee is one of the cities to host a march, with details on the local event to be found here and here.

During most of my life, there has been little reason to hold a march in support of science. Being anti-science would have been like being against motherhood and the flag. Politicians of all ideologies knew the importance of science to our county's well-being, and they supported it accordingly. However, the current regime in Washington has changed all that. Never before has there been such a concerted effort by know-nothing politicians to cut science funding and to erode American scientific leadership.

For example:

• Global warming deniers now hold power in Congress, the White House, and all Cabinet departments. Anti-science politicians are putting gag orders on scientific results related to climate change. They are defunding world-class research related to global warming in department after department. 

• Our Secretary of Education and Vice President want to spend taxpayer money on the teaching of religion, in the guise of so-called "Creation Science". If successful, this effort will create a nation of scientific illiterates.

• America draws the best scientific brains from all over the world to study in our universities, to work in our research facilities, and to start high tech companies. Current xenophobic policies by this administration are causing bright people to reconsider coming here, harming US scientific leadership. 

•  Our President believes wild pseudo-science conspiracy theories and will base national policy on those beliefs. He has already set-up a commission on vaccine safety, headed by a well-known anti-vaxxer. What is next, a commission on Chem-Trails? On astrology? On Bigfoot? 

•  The administration plans to woefully defund science. In addition to defunding climate research, the recent budget takes an axe to medical research, earth science, and energy programs. The cuts will have a catastrophic and long-lasting effect on US efforts in these important fields.

But why does our government need to fund a strong scientific effort? If we are to remain a great country, America must maintain our leadership in science and spin-off technologies. Technical leadership is just as important to our international power and prestige as more tanks and cruise missiles.

Science and spin-off technologies provide lots of good, high-paying jobs. Where would America be without strong research-intensive industries like automotive, chemical, aerospace, and petroleum? Where would we be without robust scientific and industrial efforts in electronics, biotech, and robotics?

Science provides us with a better quality of life. Technology derived from scientific research betters the human condition. Without wise investment in research, America would be functioning at a third-world level. Without modern medicine, agriculture, and transportation, life in the United States would best be described by the Hobbsian "poor, nasty, brutish, and short."

And finally, science is important for it's own sake. We have a responsibility to our civilization to keep advancing human knowledge. To constantly push back the frontiers of darkness. To know more things about more things. Even if there is never a practical pay-off, we must satisfy the basic human need to know how the universe started, how it works, and our role in it.

So, that is why I am marching next month. I love my country and want to keep it great through governmental investment in scientific research. I want to see us continue to benefit economically from the spin-offs of science. I want the quality of human life to continue to improve through science. I want to see us continue to advance the frontiers of scientific knowledge. I hope you agree and I hope to see you at the march!