Fixing a Flat at the Noisy Intersection of Science and Politics

Science is rarely a talent of Kings and governments. When King Solomon built his temple, he declared that pi = 3. Three thousand years later, in 1897, the Indiana State Legislature unanimously passed Public Law 246, making pi = 3.2. This talk will review some of the key factors that influence government decisions and then examine some of the issues that the American Physical Society has been engaged in, including confronting the Intelligent Design movement.