ABSTRACT
American ideologue is a middle-class man who objects to his dependence on science even when he accepts its norms. Membership in creationist organizations requires a degree in natural science, although to be sure their credentials are often of dubious origin, as in the case of Laetrile's Dr. Krebs. Indeed the controversy over Laetrile is but one example of widespread ideological resistance to the rationality and reductionism epitomized by science, and broad political resistance to the pervasive influence of professional expertise in many areas of personal life. Many different concerns have provoked such controversies: the fear of risk, the fear that a technology can be put to pernicious use, or that it may threaten traditional values. The Laetrile folks have their own scientific expertise; the creationists call themselves "scientific creationists." And like the Laetrile experts, creationists also focus their argument on scientific issues, attacking what they perceive to be weaknesses in the scientific base of evolutionary theory.
