Science Besieged Project:About

From Scienticity

Science Besieged is a project of Ars Hermeneutica directed at countering anti-scientism in whatever guise it appears and at increasing understanding about science and the scientific enterprise while decreasing hostility towards it.

Science is continually bombarded by anti-scientific debris, either indirectly through outcroppings of pseudo-science, bad science portrayed in films, or charlatans who misdirect congressional appropriations to their own benefit; or directly through attempts to censor the teaching of evolution or the willful manipulation of scientific results to serve government policy ends, to name only a few examples.

Attacking science sometimes appears to be a new game invented by each generation, but it's an old story. The rationality of the scientific enterprise has always aroused the enmity of anti-rational foes – as the contemporary responses to Copernicus, Galileo, Newton, and Darwin demonstrate, enlightenment has never been universal.

This online resource is a browsing encyclopedia, a collection of articles on topics that examine the role of science in society and that expose, document, and elucidate attacks on science, largely through presenting the positive work and words of scientists, science supporters, and science advocates. Our goal is not to antagonize, cajole, inveigle, or nag.

Science Besieged tells stories that show how the threads of science and technology are woven into the fabric of society. As an antidote to anti-scientism we invite readers to explore and discover the value and excitement of science for themselves.

Ars Hermeneutica's organizing mission includes doing all we can to educate the public about the goals, methods, and results of science, engineering, and mathematics. The Science Besieged Project is an expression of that commitment.