One could structure an entire graduate-level curriculum around this year’s political season. I am particularly fascinated by the different ways people arrive at various positions, form opinions, and make important decisions as 21st Century world citizens. It seems clear that a very significant percentage of Americans are not going to vote this November based on a thoughtful consideration of issues and policy differences. Frankly, this disgusts me. 90% of African Americans voting for Obama over Clinton in some areas during the primary? Clinton supporters voting for McCain in the general election? You gotta be kidding me. And that’s just the B.S. on the left. Step to the right and your other shoe will get a thick coating. The Sarah Palin nomination? Enough said.
While conservative types seem fine with faith-based policy making (as long as it’s THEIR faith), the more progressive types tend to put their faith in science. Take Joe Biden, for instance. His believes, as a Catholic, that life begins at conception. Yet he recognizes that we live in a pluralistic society, and it would be inappropriate to impose (through legislation) his faith-based view on other reasonable, ethical people with different beliefs. Yet Biden IS willing to legislate that addiction be recognized as a disease (via his “Recognizing Addiction as a Disease Act of 2007). And here he has the backing of the National Institute on Drug Abuse and prominent scientists and healthcare professionals all across the country. It would be easy to arrive at the conclusion that “Science” is indeed moving toward a consensus that everything from inattention in children to depression in adults is fundamentally a matter of brain dysfunction or disease. But can “Science” be relied on here? I wouldn’t take it on faith.
Admittedly, I have a fondness for thinkers who take on the status quo. For now, I would like to highlight two of my favorites who have each recently posted interesting pieces on their respective blogs. First, check out Stanton Peele’s perspective on Joe Biden’s addiction legistation. Peele has a very unconventional yet quite reasonable perspective on addiction, one which has not been taken seriously enough, in my opinion (I have been a mental health professional for fifteen years). Then we have Ben Goldacre, who rails against the “Medicalisation of Everyday Life” and the unscrupulous use of science to support bogus conclusions.