WHAT HAPPENS WHEN SCIENCE COLLIDES WITH CITIZENSHIP AT THE SPEED OF LIGHT?
by Tom Atlee The following story reads almost like science fiction. But it isn’t science fiction; it’s real. It raises profound questions about our survival, and about our democracy. It is a news story from a reputable newspaper, a story about scientists preparing a leading-edge physics experiment. That experiment runs what appears to be a tiny risk of literally destroying the world. Several of the physicists involved are suggesting that perhaps the group should think again about proceeding. A committee of these physicists at Brookhaven National Labs, home of the most powerful ion collider in the world, is gathering to make that decision — a decision with profound implications for the rest of us. Did you know any of this was happening? I certainly didn’t. It makes me wonder if our values, interests and views will be adequately represented in that committee’s deliberations. The article states: “John Marburger, Brookhaven’s director, set up a committee of physicists to investigate wheth
