Category Archives: blog

Feeling guilty about “smushing” an ant, and other musings about our relationship to animals

Posted on November 19, 2014 by Tom Schoenfeld

I have been following the regular postings on a new Opinionator blog at the New York Times called Menagerie, about our relationships with other animals.  Some of the essays are a little sentimental for my taste, and one was even … Continue reading →

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“I’m back” and then back again, still looking for the sweet spot

Posted on October 21, 2013 by Tom Schoenfeld

Back last May, I initiated a blog mechanism that I called “What We’re Reading Now”, which I hoped would give me a basis for more regular, if shorter posts.  That didn’t work the way that I had hoped, for two … Continue reading →

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I’m back

Posted on May 16, 2013 by Tom Schoenfeld

I am returning to active writing on this blog after a hiatus of nearly 9 months.  Not coincidentally, this is also the period of my academic year as a university professor that followed starting up the blog last summer 2012. … Continue reading →

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Our “Darwin problem” is really about power and influence (and doubt)

Posted on August 23, 2012 by Tom Schoenfeld

A key challenge to the public perception and acceptance of science, and to the scientists and science writers charged with communicating scientific results to an interested public, is the increasingly common rejection of mainstream science by influential non-scientists. A long-standing … Continue reading →

Posted in biology, blog, book, climate science, doubt, evolution, peer review, reporting, science denial, science vs. religion, science writer, scientist, theory | Tagged , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Searching for objectivity in the nature vs. nurture debate

Posted on August 8, 2012 by Tom Schoenfeld

We like to think that science is objective, that its approach to knowledge derives from the lack of bias. Unfortunately, nothing could be further from the truth. Despite the best of intentions, scientists confront and fight with bias all the … Continue reading →

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Why do women leave science?

Posted on July 25, 2012 by Tom Schoenfeld

I happened across a thoughtful essay this morning on women in science, at the blog zinemin’s random thoughts.  The blogger is a senior postdoc in physics, apparently living and working in the Netherlands.  She highlights two problem areas — cultural … Continue reading →

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Welcome!

Posted on July 20, 2012 by Tom Schoenfeld

This is the inaugural post to our new blog, Dissecting Public Science.  As articulated more comprehensively in the Mission statement, our goal is to open an ongoing conversation about how the process of science is represented, or misrepresented, in the public … Continue reading →

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