Bad science language in Smithsonian

John Logsdon, director of the Space Policy Institute at George Washington University, who will join the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum this fall, is the offender in talking about NASA’s challenge from Preznit Bush to get back into manned space exploration.

Here’s the offending comments:

“It’s not primarily about science,” Logsdon says. “It’s to test the belief that humans are destined to live in other places except earth.”

From a scientific point of view, that pair of sentences is carrying a boatload of baggage.

First, science doesn’t test beliefs, it tests hypotheses.

Someone who served on the Columbia Accident Investigation Board should know better.

Second, “destined” is teleological language, and science doesn’t do teleology when done right. We’re not “destined” for anything, just like evolution doesn’t cause “progress.”

I hope Logsdon does not have the Air and Space Museum focus its displays and presentations to talk about what we are “destined” to do.