Worth Reading

This commentary on embryonic stem cell research caught my attention for two reasons. First, its tone is perhaps the most even-handed and civil that I’ve read to date; it pays considerable respect to all points of view on the subject. Second, its author, Eric Mink, is a journalist who was not-long-ago caught in the crosswinds battering the newspaper industry. I have great respect for Eric. His columns are regularly anchored by more fact than opinion, a trait that strikes me as increasingly rare in the contemporary expression of opinion.

Of course, I may be mildly biased: When Eric edited the commentary page of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, he published me three times between May 2006 and November 2008. Hence, you should take my opinion with a grain of salt, read his latest work with your own critical eye, and cast your own judgment.

One Response to “Worth Reading”

1. Janjanjan says:

   March 22, 2009 at 10:13 am

   I thought this was an excellent, lay-person-friendly article. It evenly addresses the subject minus all the emotion and overstated claims one so often sees. Science isn't, or shouldn't be, swayed by wishful religious thinking. Nothing wrong with researching methods of moving forward within one's moral compass, but it's very wrong to leap at possible progress and blare it out as resolving all issues. And, as the author states, most of the scientific literature has been appropriately cautious. It is the idealogs who have grabbed onto the research as if grabbing onto a life preserver. This isn't too surprising. Science appropriately relies on empirical evidence. Religion isn't dependent on, nor even influenced by, empirical evidence. They just aren't, nor should they be, one and the same.