Give It to Us Straight

摘要

It was very cold January 20 on the National Mall, but I didn't mind. It warmed me to my toes to hear President Barack Obama usher in a new era of thoughtfulness and discipline by saying, "It is time to put aside childish things." One of the most important of these is the disdain for science that marked the last administration. Happily, respect for scientific integrity appears to be a hallmark of the new one, as reflected by Obama's early appointments: marine biologist and former American Academy for the Advancement of Science president Jane Lubchenco to lead the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Nobel laureate Steven Chu to head the Energy Department, and eminent physicist John Holdren as science adviser, to name a few.rnDuring the past eight years the idea that smart people can reasonably predict the future has taken a big hit. The Bush administration ridiculed the whole idea of considering consequences. ("Stuff happens.") Similarly, the biggest brains on Wall Street (and the Securities and Exchange Commission) failed to foresee the financial system meltdown.