http://m.huffpost.com/uk/entry/9535350

The scientific community consistently fails to reach out effectively to the public. Those who try (Dawkins, Tyson, Krauss) do so by encouraging belligerence to those that "dont science" because they have a religious (define that word) worldview. They also misrepresent the institution of science, talk out of their area of expertise, and spread bald face lies about the historicity of other institutions (ie Christianity) in order to demonize and discredit their role in the development of science.

Take for instance Neil D Tyson's involvement with the remaking of COSMOS and how horrible his historical caricature of The Church was. Or Richard Dawkins lame brain chants at "Reason Rally"

It seems that snobery and dishonest stupidity easily go hand-in-hand.
That recipe will never make science interesting for the general public.

I heard a scientist littered the other day. Another one didn't leave the toilet seat down.

Why does Dawkins hate religious people so much?

Fantastic article, thanks ant.

It says a British Polar Research Vessel is to be named by public vote, and the nabobs of science want to reject the overwhelming public choice, Boaty McBoatface. The blogger thinks this popular name would be great.

The theme of the blog is how science fails to convey its ideas through mass psychology. Climate science has developed an elitist image, which means that facts discovered by scientists cannot penetrate into the strata of the lower middle class. As Wilhelm Reich explains in his groundbreaking essay from the 1930s, The Mass Psychology of Fascism, "Fascist mentality is the mentality of the subjugated "little man" who craves authority and rebels against it at the same time. It is not by accident that all fascist dictators stem from the milieu of the little reactionary man. The captains of industry and the feudal militarist make use of this social fact for their own purposes. ...The Fascist is the top-sergeant type in the vast army of our sick civilization. One cannot with impunity beat the tom-tom of high politics before the little man."

Donald Trump recognises this demagogic mythological quality in politics, which makes his rise such a complete mystery to all rational people. As with climate science, reaching the masses is not about rationality but about identity. What Reich calls 'the tom-tom of high politics' is a good way to describe international agreements on climate change. Such knowledge must be carefully repackaged to deliver mass appeal.

This is also why atheism can never succeed as mass psychology, and must be recognised as an esoteric secret mystery, a topic for enlightened analysis that its proponents should not expect to simply convey to a mass audience, who are instinctively more receptive to the level of analysis of a Hitler or a Stalin.

The challenge is to work out how to connect the scientific enlightenment with the mass myth, and here the story of Jesus Christ remains our key paradigm. The idea from writers like Krauss that religion will wither away displays the height of arrogant stupidity and ignorance of mass psychology. Religion will only grow, given its role of binding the individual with the community and the cosmos.

Boaty McBoatface is jaunty, silly and popular, and provides a most useful corrective to the dour, austere, elitist image of climate science. Polar research can only engage the popular imagination by using the methods of mass psychology that have been assimilated into commercial marketing.

You said some really interesting things about the comparison between the current political climate in the USA and Rome. Something ive thought about for a while now and nearly agree completely with you.

Thanks, R

Here's NTD sticking his foot in his mouth again by talking out of his area of expertise:

http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/scien ... vn3HiLn_qB

I'm loving "Boaty McBoatface" and agree completely with the author. These scientists are literally missing the boat on this opportunity.

Birdy McBird Face and Eagle McFeagle?

The Ultimate Naming Contest

I love the whimsicality of "Boaty McBoatface" (and "Clifford the Big Red Boat”), but I can also see why officials at the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) would want a serious name for a £200 million state-of-the-art polar research vessel, presumably paid for by taxpayers. The article quotes Royal Navy, Admiral Lord West, who believes it would be more appropriate to use a British explorer's name for the research vessel. Lord West said the NERC had expected only ”marine research fans" to get involved. No one had anticipated the naming contest would become a viral internet sensation. Regardless, I hardly think Lord West's opinion constitutes "condescending superiority." In the end we have a very political body that will have to justify the £200 million expense of a research vessel. Having a whimsical name might not play well in the long term.

So while I agree with the general argument that science institutions should engage a wider public audience, it actually appears that the NERC is doing just that by launching this naming contest. The contest is still ongoing until April 16, and "Boaty McBoatface" remains the most popular choice.

It's also interesting that the guy who came up with the name has apologized to the NERC.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-je ... sh_regions

Well, you're missing the whole point entirely, but okay.

today Mr. Splashy Pants was sighted from Boaty McBoatface

Mister Splashy Pants, or Mr. Splashypants, is the name of a humpback whale in the South Pacific Ocean. It is currently being tracked with a satellite tag by Greenpeace as a part of its Great Whale Trail Expedition,[1] which was working to raise awareness about whales threatened by the Japanese Fisheries Agency's plan to hunt 50 humpback whales. The whale's name was chosen in an online poll that garnered attention from several websites, including Boing Boing[2] and Reddit,[3] quickly becoming an internet meme.