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MR. LADWIG: I don't know how many people have seen the movie The Thing 
It was a science fiction movie that James Arness rose to stardom in, and in 
it there was a mad scientist who wanted to go ahead with this experiment 
that he had cooked up in the lab in growing these organisms, despite the 
fact that his organisms had escaped and were killing people and this type of 
thing. He was doing this, he said, in the name of science, and in the name 
of truth. 
I joined the rest of the audience in applauding when he got his just 
due and was zappd by The Thing , and with that in mind I was very glad to 
participate in this meeting with scientists who are not mad, who recognize 
their responsibilities and have taken this first step in managing these 
experiments, proposing these guidelines, and giving us something to build 
on. 
I believe too many Americans still have a bad image of science. You 
have been thrown in the same bag in a loss of faith with the politicians, 
government agencies, the military, and this kind of faith has got to be re- 
stored. You are thrown in with a track record of controversial things like 
the SST, nuclear power, ozone layer, and I am not making any value commit- 
ments on these things. I merely am saying that this is the track record you 
are identified with, and this has caused a lot of alarm. 
So my specific recommendations on the guidelines are going to have to 
come later. My own membership, which I kind of feel I am representing here 
has been sending me their comments based on a letter I sent them, and it is 
split right down the middle at this point, so if I am allowed to feel like 
a mini-you for a while, I have got this slush coming from both sides. I may 
just give it all to you like that and not make any judgment at all. 
(Laughter. ) 
So I just want to make a couple of quick comments and concerns at this 
time. I agreed with Dr. Rosenblith, yesterday, in his assessment that we 
are not dealing here with an either/or situation. This isn't an adversary 
situation. We should certainly be seeing this from many aspects, from the 
legal implications, to economic implications, government, theology, politics 
and I don't think enough people in this room have been talking and realize 
that point, that as we are moving into what has been called participatory 
democracy, and it is coming, and it is going to come stronger in the next 
few years. If the scientists feel that the public is meddling in this type 
of thing, just wait, because it is going to get worse until we find a system 
to manage participatory democracy. 
Scientists are involved in other people's bailiwicks, and this type of 
thing, so we are all getting our fingers in each other's pie, and until we 
can find a way to manage that system, we damn well better learn how to go on 
with this type of forum. 
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