Message to gonature.com about future social science:
go.nature.com/oqxqzh
The charming and respectable journal NATURE has published an article about future directions for social science research. (Social Science Lines Up Its Biggest Challenges, Jim Giles NATURE vol. 470 no. 7332 February 3, 2011 page 18) and has gone so far as to open the door for suggestions. I applaud the gesture and enthusiastically responded as follows:
SIR:
Regarding future directions for social science research I have an issue the importance of which is more than extreme; it is absolute. If people continue to avoid marrying cousins the fall in fertility will continue to be profound and possibly irreversible. I have solid evidence not brief enough for this forum. Check nobabies.net on March 18, 2011 for the Vancouver poster.
The question is: How is this going to play out for social institutions, and if we don’t like it how can we change it?
Sincerely,
M. Linton Herbert MD
Well what they had actually turned out to be a chat room. The conversation was ongoing, some remarks thoughtful and some less so. Then I posted my note. It has been followed by resounding silence. Maybe they are waiting to see the March 18 poster (Ho, ho, ho.) Or maybe the conversation just happened to wind down a few hours before I make the remarks above.
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