It's a very interesting post. You use "scientists" to mean two very different things. One is researchers, and the other is clinicians. Essentially everyone interacts with clinicians. Not many people interact with researchers. Even many clinicians don't interact with researchers. But clinicians are very dependent on researchers. And neither researchers nor clinicians are always right. It's the goal of both groups always to be right, and they carefully construct what they do to maximize the likelihood of being right. That is never true of government, and as possible as it is for a researcher or a clinician not to be right, it is guaranteed that someone who went to law school, and became a heroin addict for 15 years, will not be right about scientific issues.
What's further interesting is your comment "Many scientists were paralyzed by fear of losing funding, fear of political retaliation, fear that speaking out would cost them everything they had spent their careers building." Scientists were paralyzed by fear of a collection of things. But they were not paralyzed by fear of being wrong. People in the sciences know how to accommodate for the possibility of being wrong. They design and execute what they do always with that possibility in mind. The last people on earth who should make rules for scientists are people in government. Government is essentially always wrong, in that its aim is never universally agreed.
I <3 Union of Concerned Scientists— for many years they’ve been in the forefront of protecting people’s health, safety and the environment. They use science, research and advocacy to create innovative solutions for global warming, address sustainable agriculture and food production. Known for fighting misinformation and reducing the threat of nuclear war, UCS is a great org to become a supporter of.
New rule: if someone’s anti-science, they don’t get to have a mobile phone. Or car. Or a TV.
Thank you. I signed up for the launch of Uniting to Protect Science and Democracy. One more nurse, looking out for us.
It's a very interesting post. You use "scientists" to mean two very different things. One is researchers, and the other is clinicians. Essentially everyone interacts with clinicians. Not many people interact with researchers. Even many clinicians don't interact with researchers. But clinicians are very dependent on researchers. And neither researchers nor clinicians are always right. It's the goal of both groups always to be right, and they carefully construct what they do to maximize the likelihood of being right. That is never true of government, and as possible as it is for a researcher or a clinician not to be right, it is guaranteed that someone who went to law school, and became a heroin addict for 15 years, will not be right about scientific issues.
What's further interesting is your comment "Many scientists were paralyzed by fear of losing funding, fear of political retaliation, fear that speaking out would cost them everything they had spent their careers building." Scientists were paralyzed by fear of a collection of things. But they were not paralyzed by fear of being wrong. People in the sciences know how to accommodate for the possibility of being wrong. They design and execute what they do always with that possibility in mind. The last people on earth who should make rules for scientists are people in government. Government is essentially always wrong, in that its aim is never universally agreed.
Omg Allie! What a delight to see your name on my favorite newsletter!
I <3 Union of Concerned Scientists— for many years they’ve been in the forefront of protecting people’s health, safety and the environment. They use science, research and advocacy to create innovative solutions for global warming, address sustainable agriculture and food production. Known for fighting misinformation and reducing the threat of nuclear war, UCS is a great org to become a supporter of.