Pundits forecast dire consequences of this illiteracy for our nation, ranging from declining economic competitiveness to weakening democratic institutions: Industrialists struggle to find workers able to handle increasingly technical jobs; scientists fear a shortage of qualified students and loss of U.S. preeminence in science and engineering; congressmen fret over how to develop consensus for rational policies about AIDS, "Star Wars," environmental hazards, airline safety, and a host of other complicated conundrums poorly understood by the public.
Scientists also see a connection to other alarming trends. A startlingly high percentage of U.S. citizens cheerfully believe astrologers, psychics, and persons claiming to have traveled in UFOs. (A Nashville, Tenn., city councilperson recently proposed building a landing pad for UFOs!). Individuals and organizations spend large sums on quack medical cures, educational programs, self-improvement courses, and other nostrums based on egregiously unscientific theories.
Some argue that we need a crash program, like the one ...
