COMMENT ⊗   VALID 00002 PAGES
C REC  PAGE   DESCRIPTION
C00001 00001
C00002 00002	@make(letterhead,Phone"497-4430",Who"John McCarthy",Logo,Old,Department CSD)
C00004 ENDMK
C⊗;
@make(letterhead,Phone"497-4430",Who"John McCarthy",Logo,Old,Department CSD)
@style(indent 8)
@blankspace(12 lines)
@begin(address)
Editorial Correspondence
Science
1333 H Street NW
Washington, D.C. 20005
@end(address)
@greeting(To the Editor:)
@begin(body)

	Daniel Koshland's 25 October editorial about scientific
literacy is fine as far as it goes, but it ignores an important fact.
Apparent public opinion is not just the resultant of individual reactions
to issues and facts put before the public.  That isn't even true of the
reactions of the scientific public.  Few individuals have sufficient
confidence in their own knowledge and judgment to decide issues on this
basis alone.  Instead we are profoundly influenced by organized movements
that compete for the allegiance of members of the public, journalists,
lawyers and public officials.  These movements, working through the media,
tell us who are the good guys and who are bad.  Once we know who are the
good guys, we don't have to pay attention to a lot of complicated science
in order to know what policies to support.

@end(body)
Sincerely,




John McCarthy
Professor of Computer Science