Pseudoscience, Biology, and the Education of African-American Students to be held in Phoenix in March 1995

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

Recent research has detailed a general decline in scientific literacy among the general American population and a concomitant rise in the belief in pseudoscientific theories. Pseudoscience includes such views as alchemy and astrology. One could argue that belief in such theories is largely harmless. Yet, in the increasingly complex society that is developing in our country, anything that distracts the general citizenry from understanding of the way science and technology develop further divides citizens into technologically and scientifically literate and those who are illiterate with respect to these areas. Unfortunately, the latter group will become increasingly marginalized in our future society. Under the leadership of Professor Joseph Graves, a group of prominent African-American scientists and historians of science are seeking to determine how cultural and social factors have impacted the scientific literacy of the African-American community. These scientists have committed significant time and energy to being the examination of the role of pseudoscience in producing patterns of underrepresentation of African-Americans in science and engineering. This is a crucial issue which, if not addressed, could retard all the efforts made by national agencies to reverse this pattern of underrepresentation of African Americans in the natural sciences. As part of this study, these interested African-American scientists are meeting in March, 1995 in Phoenix to plan a major symposium to address this problem.