State of Suspense

Being a slow reader (even with forth-grade level text), I have read about 225 pages into Crichton’s State of Fear. Nevertheless, I will comment the best I can on the four topics that Ben specified.

From “Appendix I—Why Politicized Science is Dangerous”: Crichton argues that scientists, because of their continual quest for research support, can develop biases that favor the ideology of the sponsor at the expense of the Holy Grail of scientific truth. That position echoes President Eisenhower’s warning of adverse influences of a military-industrial complex. Perhaps, to more accurately reflect Crichton’s and Eisenhower’s concerns, I would expand that complex to include academia and advocacy organizations. Especially relevant and thought provoking is Crichton’s thesis: “In science, the old men are usually wrong. But in politics, the old men are wise, counsel caution, and in the end are often right." (Page 731.) Crichton implies that the “old men” might not be up on the latest science, but, because they are immune to the pressures of financial support, are likely to make decisions based strictly on truth. As an old man, I cannot agree more with Crichton.

From the novel: A passage that struck me was Crichton’s description of how NERF purposefully manipulated the news media. (Pages 193-202.) The NERF personnel eagerly massaged their “Abrupt Climate Change: The Dangers Ahead” message and media kit, even at the expense of accuracy, to assure maximal public impact. My fear is that Crichton’s fictional account is close to the truth. I now wonder if advocacy organizations such as the Sierra Club, the Center for Science in the Public Interest, Greenpeace, and PETA are as virtuous as they would like the public to think.

Term/concept from science studies: I cannot think of a better fit for Latour’s black box than global warming. Many of us assume global warming is real but do not understand how or why that phenomenon takes place. That is the global warming black box. Surrounding that box are the competing influences of science, politics, religious ideology, and corporate and advocacy group special interests.

Term/concept from literary studies: State of Fear is a Cartesian wonderland. Throughout the novel, Crichton states the time and location of each event. Early in the novel, many of these events seem unrelated. But, as the mystery unravels, I expect Crichton will connect all these coordinates and reveal their relevance to the story. I cannot wait!