It’s Funny Because It’s True

Posted by on . 5 comments.

MyDD :: Gupta Out!

Dashing CNN personality reportedly no longer in the running for Surgeon General post.

The field is now cleared for Dr. Leo Spaceman. “Medicine’s not a science.”

Update [2009-3-5 17:46:17 by Josh Orton]: And for those of you who think the support behind Spaceman is held only in jest, consider this: his chances of an administration post are (at least) as good as Howard Dean‘s, if not better.

All hail Rahm Emanuel!

For those who don’t know Dr. Spaceman:

Comments

  1. kiel says:
    March 5, 2009 at 7:01 pm

    Medicine is multi-faceted. Some medicine, namely basic research, is quite scientific (bio-chemistry or epidemiology, for example), whereas some is only an applied science at best. Take a simple surgery, like appendectomy. If the definition of science is forming a hypothesis and testing it with an eye toward falsifying it in a way that is replicable and reliable, well, not since the first few dozen appendectomies were done has it been science. It’s akin to a car mechanic’s work. (Which could also be scientific, under the right conditions, but generally is not.)

    This said, I have never heard of this Spaceman guy before. If his name is at all Dickensian (if it tells us something about his phsyche), well, he might not be a terribly good choice.

  2. matt says:
    March 5, 2009 at 7:11 pm

    i think you may have missed the joke here. possibly all of them. i’ve updated the original post in case you are not alone…

  3. Cynthia Mitchel says:
    March 5, 2009 at 8:41 pm

    Gupta couldn’t accept the position because he’s in the back pocket of the insurance and pharmaceutical companies. he’s a phony, and a jerk. CNN should get rid of him.

  4. kiel says:
    March 6, 2009 at 6:55 am

    I certainly did–and I think I still do. But this begs a question similar to the tree falling in a forest: If a joke is not gotten, is it still a joke? :)

    Anyway, apologies for my obtuseness. When it comes to educating people about what science is and does, I tend to get very serious.

  5. matt says:
    March 6, 2009 at 8:14 am

    >If a joke is not gotten, is it still a joke? :)

    you bet your ass it is. nullus.