Obama introduces novel concept: science-based science

President Obama may or may not have all the answers to the nation’s economic crisis, but he’s making small but important strides in other areas.

A big one occurred Monday when he announced that the federal government will no longer restrict or silence scientists who don’t toe an ideological line. Obama said he wants to ensure “that scientific data is never distorted or concealed to serve a political agenda and that we make scientific decisions based on facts, not ideology.”

What a novel concept.

The focus of Monday’s announcement concerned federally funded stem-cell research, which will now be allowed to occur free of the severe limits imposed by former President George W. Bush. Scientists believe stem-cell research could lead to cures for diabetes, Parkinson’s disease and other devastating ailments.

But Obama’s announcement extends far beyond stem cells to include all aspects of scientific inquiry, including climate change, a controversial subject on which the Bush administration actively manipulated and censored study results and conclusions.

Ethics is a valid and important issue in the field of science, but science must not be restricted or censored by those extreme individuals who view the world through lenses colored by religious or ideological dogma.

For those who weren’t paying attention in high school, here’s a succinct definition of the scientific method from the Science Made Simple website:

“The scientific method is a logical and rational order of steps by which scientists come to conclusions about the world around them. The scientific method helps to organize thoughts and procedures so that scientists can be confident in the answers they find. Scientists use observations, hypotheses, and deductions to make these conclusions.”