I can't help but feel that this wagon-circling and fact-massaging reflects a pattern of behaviour by the leadership of Science - of treating the science world as a kind of guild whose interests must be advanced, of explicitly leveraging the institution to promote certain political views as truth. - ThreadSky

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kristjanmoore.bsky.social • 40 days ago

I can't help but feel that this wagon-circling and fact-massaging reflects a pattern of behaviour by the leadership of Science - of treating the science world as a kind of guild whose interests must be advanced, of explicitly leveraging the institution to promote certain political views as truth.

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jeremymberg.bsky.social•40 days ago

I think this is a separate issue, but I share your discomfort about this sort of behavior. In my view, endorsing candidates is neither appropriate nor wise.

con'ted

jeremymberg.bsky.social•40 days ago

Should scientists be involved in informing public policy? Absolutely. But it is essential to separate scientific findings from policy recommendations.

Is human-caused climate change occurring? Here is the (strong) evidence that it is.

Does this imply specific policies?

con'ted

jeremymberg.bsky.social•40 days ago

In my view, it does not. It can sometimes inform to consequences of following one policy or another. But policy development requires consideration of many other factors and other perspectives.

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jeremymberg.bsky.social•40 days ago

By blending scientific evidence and policy recommendations too much, we run the risk of making scientific evidence seem like just another opinion, rather than empirical evidence based on a foundation of careful observation and underlying frameworks of facts established over time.

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jeremymberg.bsky.social•40 days ago

This is very dangerous. I wrote an editorial "Imagine a world without facts" where I laid out my views of the consequences of not having accepted facts based on substantial empirical observation.

https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.aav7494

kristjanmoore.bsky.social•40 days ago

Very good points - I'm sure you've seen some of the polls showing that trust in science now shows a clear partisan split in the US.

I do think that the sloppiness and bullheadedness around the article was in part because it (apparently) comported so well with concerns around equity and diversity.

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