Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1956-10-06
On Science Reporting

The science reporter is far
more an interpreter and former
of public meaning of reported
events than, say, the court re-
porter. The significance of
scientific Technology and pro-
cedure is not as easy nor as
widely understood as events in
common human relations. The
scientific reporter is necessarily
a columnist. forming public
opinion. rather than a pur-
veyor of information. His is a
teachers work, requiring choice
in presented material, so as to
place it in its proper perspec-
tive as far as all available
knowledge permits. This re-
quirement makes the work of
the science reporter difficult in
deed but guarantees the graft
tude of the community, who,
without his service, remains
bewildered and at the mercy
Of experts and science fiction.
Thomas r. Henry has pre-
sented constant alarm of sci
entific groups, meaning biolo-
gists and chemists, without
pointing out the limitations of
their reasoning.
The Star reported recently
two scientific papers, one by a
biologist (Star, August 20.
1860, and one by a chemist
tStar, September 81, 1856.
each expressing alarm over the
earth's burgeoning population.
Both papers, as reported, are
good examples of scientific
work, resting on hypothesis
which may hold within GER
tain limitations, but are in
capable Of bearing the weight
of the conclusions drawn from
them. They are neglecting
mans freedom. capable of re-
making or destroying his en-
vironment and seeing only a
lawfulnesS which he shares
with the brute world.
AS reported, the biologist ar
gued this way: Because some
deer, freed from its natural
enemies, multiplied rapidly.
overgrazed and then engaged
IN a suicidal fight, therefore
man is doomed to self -exter-
mination by war. This is the
Malthusian conclusion, neg
lecting the peculiar human ca
pacity Of innovating which we
see today far better illustrated
than the generation before the
Industrial Revolution.
Now we hear of a chemist
who no longer is afraid of food
shortages but of the shortage
OF standing room. He found
his fear confirmed during a
recent trip to the Orient. He
discovered there, that, after all.
Oriental agriculture is very eff
ticient. A strange discovery.
indeed, after all we have heard
from other people, presumably
scientists, that we have to
teach those people scientific
methods. Overpopulation, this
chemist says. not ineff1ciency.
reduces grazing areas and
forces the people of India, Chi
ma. and Japan to the meager
protein diet of animal origin.
How amateurish a procedure.
stemming from an attempt to
explain a social feature, the
diet. in terms of numbers only.
This chemist should look into
the large literature on the re-
latlon OF religion and diet and
economic dispositions in gen.
eral. He should examine the
remarkable fact that free en-
terprise and the spirit of inno-
walton is only found where
Christianity had sway. He
should study Troeltsch. Choisy.
Sombart, Brentano, Tawney,
Max Weber. His conclusions
then would be quite different.
His fear of lack of standing
room leads him to this grouchy
conclusion: 1.-The older grow"
says the chemist, "the more /
appreciate children. But there
is a limit to our capacity to
enjoy grown-ups into which
they develop. Malthus," so he
continues. may return to
plague us, synthetic chlorophyll
urged on by atomic energy
Notwithstanding"
If he had considered the
qualities of man and his per-
feet ability he could not have
come to this self-destructive
despair.
Josef Solterer.
Professor of Economies
Georgetown University