We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them." --Albert Einstein
In my previous blog I introduced the problem of scientism -- the religious-like belief that science is necessarily the best or only valid approach to learning more about the physical world and solving applied problems. Here I address some of the comments to that blog by discussing the negative consequences of scientism in agriculture and environmental conservation. I conclude by offering a few "nonscientific" alternatives for situations in which a formal scientific methodology may not be the most appropriate and effective approach.
Read the rest over at HuffingtonPost.
Robert J. Cabin is Associate Professor of Ecology and Environmental Science at Brevard College. Before returning to academia, he worked as a restoration ecologist for the U.S. Forest Service and the National Tropical Botanical Garden.