A partial explanation for all the craziness we’ve been
experiencing, the lack of a referee and the irrationality, is people’s loss of
faith in Science.
Science used to be the neutral referee, the generally
objective test for public policy and the guide for individual choice. But as big bucks have corrupted it (think of
the ‘scientists’ that work for the oil companies) and a few high profile cases
of scientists fudging their data have been revealed, certain politicians have
accentuated these to discredit all of Science—very much like Reagan did with
the welfare cheats and Willy Horton. The
public, media-fed resurgence of archaic religious dogma, even as more and more
people say they are drifting away from organized religion, and again the
media-fed political polarization, have also contributed to Science’s loss of
influence.
In spite of all this, Science itself, despite a few bad
apples, has not changed and remains our best hope for an honest, objective
referee and alternative to irrationality and prejudice. Talking about Mark Henderson’s new book, “The
Geek Manifesto”, the Christian Science Monitor’s May 28th issue
says: “We now have a strong argument for smart people to get involved in the
grubby world of politics, standing up for good public policies that are based
on facts rather than gut feelings and prejudice.”
“What is required, writes Angela Saini in a recent New
Scientist magazine, is for those citizens who value science to rise up and
force it onto the mainstream political agenda.”
Good idea! Isn’t it time we got
angry about the lack of Science in policy-making, and took action to return its
influence?
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