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I'm Drew Breunig and I obsess about technology, media, language, and culture. I live in New York, studied anthropology, and work in advertising technology.

These are reactions to things I feel are important.

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Be like Bill Nye, not like Isaac Asimov

Earlier today, William Gibson retweeted this into my feed:

This thinking was rampant in the Valley. It’s one of the few facets I don’t miss about the Bay Area.

Asimov crankily implies that the ‘ignorant’ view their ideas as ignorant. These people, he suggests, hold onto their beliefs despite all evidence to the contrary. Such a view, and shrugging off these people as ignorant, dismisses the real motivations that produce their worldview. People always have their reasons. Ignoring, instead of attempting to understand the culture and context which birthed their passions is giving up on any chance of changing them.

As we debate and support the things we care about, let’s not resort to dismissive name calling. It’s counterproductive. Let’s not be Asimov. Instead, let’s be Bill Nye.

Yesterday, this video emerged of Bill Nye on Fox News talking about Hurricane Irene. Please go watch it.

The anchor embraces the Fox rhetoric, ridiculing those who suggest Irene might be the result of global warming. The host even plays a clip of Al Gore comparing global warming disbelievers to racists in an attempt to mold the story back into conservative vs liberal narrative.

But Nye doesn’t bite. He’s patient and doesn’t lose his cool. Nye’s goal isn’t being ‘right.’ It isn’t about winning or shouting. His goal is understanding. Nye will bend over backwards, come at the problem 100 different ways with infinite patience, if it might help one Fox viewer understand why he believes what he does.

Scientific ideas like global warming and evolution matter. Let’s not reenforce positions against them by ridiculing those who don’t believe. It’s that behavior that nurtures anti-intellectualism.

Let’s work that much harder to help people understand why we believe and why science matters.

7 notesShowHide

  1. hawksstar said: You are seriously misreading Asimov. He was describing something people believe about democracy, not advocating we treat people in some particular way. .
  2. dbreunig posted this