Barack Obama sobre Ignorância, Ciência e Progresso (Legendado)

facts evidence reason logic an understanding of science these are good things these are qualities you want in people making policy these are ponies you want to continue to cultivate in yourselves as citizens [Applause] might seem obvious now that's why we honor bill moyers or not to bruh now I we weak we traditionally have valued those things but if you were listening to today's political debate you might wonder where this strain of anti-intellectualism came from so so so class of 2016 let me be as clear as I can be in politics and in life ignorance is

not a virtue [Applause] it's not cool to not know what you're talking about that's not keeping it real or telling it like it is that's not challenging political correctness that's just not knowing what you're talking about and yet we've become confused about this look our nation's founders Franklin Madison Hamilton Jefferson they were born of the Enlightenment they sought to escape superstition and sectarianism and tribalism and no nothingness they believed in rational thought and experimentation and the capacity of informed citizens to master our own fates that is embedded in our constitutional design that spirit informed our

inventors and our explorers the Edison's and the Wright brothers and the George Washington Carver's and the Grace hoppers and the Norman Borlaug's and the Steve Jobs that's what built this country and today in every phone in one of your pockets we have access to more information than at any time in human history at at a touch of a button but ironically the flood of information hasn't made us more discerning of the truth in some ways it's just made us more confident in our ignorance we assume whatever is on the web must be true we search

for sites that just reinforce our own predispositions opinions masquerade as facts the wildest conspiracy theories are taken for gospel now now understand I am sure you've learned during your years of college and if not you will learn soon that there are a whole lot of folks who are book smart and have no common sense that's the truth you'll meet them if you haven't already so the fact that they got a fancy degree you know you got to talk to them to see whether they know what they're talking about qualities like kindness and compassion honesty hard

work they often matter more than technical skills or know-how but when our leaders express a disdain for facts when they're not held accountable for repeating falsehoods and just making stuff up while actual experts are dismissed as a Letus then we've got a problem you know it's interesting that if we get sick we actually want to make sure the doctors like going to medical school they know what they're talking about if we get on a plane we say we really want a pilot to be able to pilot the plane and yet in our public lives we

suddenly think oh I don't want somebody who's done it before look the rejection effects the rejection of reason and science that is the path to decline it calls to mind the word of Carl Sagan who graduated high school here in New Jersey he said we can judge our progress by the courage of our questions and the depths of our answers our willingness to embrace what is true rather than what feels good the debate around climate change is a perfect example of this now I recognize it doesn't feel like the plantiffs warmer right now I understand

there was hail when I landed in Newark but but think think about the climate change issue every day there are officials in high office with responsibilities who mock the overwhelming consensus of the world scientists that human activities and the release of carbon dioxide and methane and other substances are altering our climate and profound and dangerous ways a while back you may have seen a United States Senator trotted out a snowball during a floor speech in the middle of winter as proof that the world was not warming I mean listen climate change is not something subject

to political spin there is evidence that our facts we can see it happening right now if we don't act if we don't roll medon't follow through on the progress we made and in Paris the progress we've been making here at home your generation will feel the brunt of this catastrophe so it's up it's up to you to insist upon inch and shape and inform debate imagine if if Benjamin Franklin had seen that Senator with the snowball what he would think imagine if your fifth grade science teacher had seen that you'd get a D and he's

a senator somebody look I'm not suggesting that cold analysis and hard data are ultimately more important in life than passion or faith or love or loyalty I am suggesting that those highest expressions of our humanity can only flourish when our economy functions well and proposed budgets add up and our environment is protected and to accomplish those things to make collective decisions on behalf of a common good we have to use our heads we have to agree that facts and evidence matter and we've got to hold our leaders and ourselves accountable to know what the heck

they're talking about [Applause]