Submitted to a Candid World

We are a society built on science, on the idea that facts can be knowable, and used to construct solutions to build a better reality for those around us. America was founded on this idea of progress through knowledge. At the point where we allow scientific, objective reality to become a “spinnable” issue, subject to the political process, we abandon that commitment, and endanger our national heritage and our future.

I write today to point out that both sides of the political spectrum are guilty of this crime. While I am continually disturbed by the attempts of (nominally) conservative pundits to push intelligent design onto an unsuspecting populace, I should point out that, as Denialism Blog recently posted, there is no pro-science political party in the United States. I must convey my deep disappointment that any of our presidential candidates would stoop to this level of pandering. Feeding the anti-vaccine hysteria is irresponsible, and especially comes as a shock against Hillary Clinton’s earlier promises to shield science from politics. Blowing the rantings of anti-science fanatics into a legitimate scientific “controversy” is unforgivable.

Science knows no politics. As Thomas Kuhn wrote,

One of the strongest, if still unwritten, rules of scientific life is the prohibition of appeals to heads of state or to the populace at large in matters scientific.[1]

Somehow this message is slipping through the cracks. We need to encourage a national dialog on the importance of science, and the importance of peer review and close scrutiny before bringing science to the electorate. A Science Debate would be a great start, but a rebirth of the strong, independent presidential science adviser would be an even firmer step in the right direction. Something, though, must be done to step back from the brink.

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For those interested in the vaccine “controversy,” please ask your doctor, or read some musings on the subject by an actual doctor. But please, don’t ask the Republican or the Democratic party.

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[1]: Thomas S. Kuhn, The Structure of Scientific Revolutions, Chapter XII.