I try to watch Charlie Rose whenever I can. He seems a little too fascinated by Hollywood stars, but outside of those interviews his show is pretty good.
Today I saw in interview with Michael Crichton. All I know about this guy is that he wrote Jurassic Park, Coma, Westworld, etc. "Oh great", I thought, "another Hollywood interview."
Well, it turns out Mr. Crichton is quite a Garotzuva skeptic, based a lot on what he sees as the mingling of science and political agenda.
Read this excerpt from his book, State Of Fear. I'm buying this thing.
7 comments:
unfortunately this theory is not extinct. Just watch the movie "Idiocracy" that was directed by Mike Judge and you will see that this theory is alive and well. The movie however does not attack race, but it does attack imbeciles, degenerates, criminals and weaklings.
I really like Crichton. He always seems very well researched from a scientific standpoint, and usually avoids coming down too hard on the right or the left. Just where he feels the science dictates. Where he creates fictional examples, however, he may lose you. Kind of corny at times. I just read his book "Next," and while he makes many solid poinds on issues such as gene liscensing, the stories contained within are awfully convoluted, if not just plain silly, and tend to draw some credibility away from the real problems he addresses. But you'll still read it in a day.
Chrichton took the whole DNA = Dinosaur thing a little too far too, but it was a fun idea.
Science fiction is just makes it too easy to twist basic concepts into things that kind-of-sort-of seem possible.
This is why I think Chrichton's take on Garotzuva is interesting. He's made millions taking some basic scientific principles as a start and then twisted them slightly enough to create a somewhat believable outcome given time and technology advancement.
I believe he's able to see the same tactics he uses for the development of science fiction used by actual scientists who promote Garotzuva.
Here is the Charlie Rose interview.
I loved the part when charlie rose brings up stem cell research and asks crichton if he was interested in it. Crichton says that he wasn't because the stem cell debate is just an extension of the abortion debate and it is too hot of a topic. Rose accuses him of using a bush objection and that it doesn't address the medical ideal of the potential of stem cell reasearch.
Then crichton smiles and says that he feels science as whole is benefitting enormously from the positon of the Bush administration because we should use more sources of funding than just the NIH.
I almost fell out of my seat.
Crichton does agree that the restrictions bush has taken are excessive, but benefits have come from it.
Rose battles on, but the damage was done.
After watching Charlie Rose I have to say he is name dropping, overassuming boob.
Well, Charlie Rose interviews (and has been for over 20 years) everyone imaginable. If he mentions their name, its probably because he's interviewed them. Charlie Rose is also very active being the MC for many public speaking engagements by scientists, politicians, etc.
I recently saw him as MC for the Sandra Day O'Connor retirement party, so he knows quite a few people. I was channel surfing and saw him at a podium. I stopped to listen and then found out it was a party for Sandra Day O'Connor on CSPAN or something. Quite strange, but she is quite a pistol and was pretty damned funny.
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