Uncommon Sense

Uncommon Sense: The Heretical Nature of Science

Alan Cromer

1993

I didn't read this book cover to cover. I started at the beginning, skipped to the last chapter, then went back to read most of the chapters in between. I found it interesting to read and think about, although the author is highly opinionated and this comes through in the tone of writing and the direction of discussion in the book. More helpful than the rather extensive paragraphs on why science couldn't have emerged anywhere but ancient Greece are the explanations of exactly how scientific thinking differs from "regular" thinking or naturalistic reasoning.

Some favorite bits:

"Many studies have shown that more than half of adult Americans never reach the stage of formal operations (Arons and Karplus 1976)" - and because scientific thinking occurs in the "formal operations" stage after a long stage of concrete thinking, Cromer would probably say that more than half of adult Americans are incapable of scientific reasoning. (p. 187)

"...egocentrism, the innate human tendence to confuse thought and reality, is a natural barrier to the development of science. It is also the principal obstable to the learning of science and scientific thinking." - 189.

science education through experiments and demonstrations SEED sourcebook

rules for successful science teachung - Padilla 1983

IKEA vs the chemical industry

http://www.triplepundit.com/2010/06/ikea-phasing-out-toxic-flame-retardants-in-furniture/

Now I feel like I should be writing angry letters about chemicals in furniture...

The Way We Eat

The Way We Eat: Why our food choices matter

Peter Singer and Jim Mason

Overall, I didn't find the book convincing. Much of the information about factory farms was not new to me, and I wasn't looking for a book about factory farms. I was looking for a discussion on the ethics of eating meat. Unfortunately, I found this (slim) section of the book poorly-argued and also unconvincing. 

Recommends:

The Conscientious Carnivote, essay by British philosopher Roger Scruton

Hope's Edge: The Next Diet for a Small Planet by Anna Lappe

I'd like to come back to this book at some point and figure out exactly why it was unsatisfying.