# Public Understanding Does Not Guarantee Agreement on Science by Lee M. Silver > “Since this experience, I have purposely engaged other well-educated defenders of the irrational, as well as numerous students at my university, in spontaneous one-on-one debates about a host of contentious biological subjects including evolution, organic farming, homeopathy, cloned animals, "chemicals" in our food, and genetic engineering. Much to my chagrin, even after politics, ideology, economics, and other cultural issues have been put aside, there is often a refusal to accept scientific implications of rational argumentation.” > **— Lee M. Silver**, *2008, Edge Annual Question, “What Have You Changed Your Mind About? Why?”* ## Sources and Context - **Direct Edge response and surrounding essay:** [If we could just get people to understand the science, they'd agree with us.Not](https://www.edge.org/response-detail/11294) — Edge published this exact passage in its 2008 Annual Question collection, *WHAT HAVE YOU CHANGED YOUR MIND ABOUT? WHY?*. The response page preserves the surrounding argument and qualifications. - **Complete local collection index:** [[research/Edge 2008 Full Quotation Curation|Edge 2008 Full Quotation Curation]] — retained source-first record for the complete response cohort and this passage's promotion status. ## Related Articles and Collections - **Collection:** [[collections/Edge|Edge]] - **Collection:** [[collections/Machine Succession|Machine Succession]] - **Article:** [[articles/The Evolutionary Roots of Silicon Valley|Valley Roots]] - **Article:** [[articles/Digital Darwinism and the Invisible World of Machine Evolution|Digital Darwinism]] - **Article:** [[articles/We Were Never Going to Make It|Never Going to Make It!]] - **Wiki map:** [[wiki/Evolutionary Biology|Evolutionary Biology]] ## Related Topics - [[wiki/Evolutionary Biology|Evolutionary Biology]] - [[wiki/Epigenetic Modification|Epigenetic Modification]] - [[wiki/Genetic Recombination|Genetic Recombination]] - [[wiki/Evolutionary Covariation|Evolutionary Covariation]] ## Share on Social Media ``` “Since this experience, I have purposely engaged other well-educated defenders of the irrational, as well as numerous students at my university, in spontaneous one-on-one debates about a host of contentious biological subjects including evolution, organic farming, homeopathy, cloned animals, "chemicals" in our food, and genetic engineering. Much to my chagrin, even after politics, ideology, economics, and other cultural issues have been put aside, there is often a refusal to accept scientific implications of rational argumentation.” — Lee M. Silver, 2008, Edge Annual Question, “What Have You Changed Your Mind About? Why?” https://bryantmcgill.com/simple-reminders-lee-silver-public-understanding-guarantee-agreement-science ```