Bishop Hill Pielke Jr on politicised science
Jan 3, 2013 Bureaucrats Roger Pielke Jr has a must-read post on the politicisation of science, inspired by an editorial in Nature by Dan Sarewitz.
In a 2009 paper I documented that Science magazine published 40 editorials critical of the Bush Administration during its 2 terms, and only 1 such critique of the Clinton Administration's previous 2 terms (here in PDF). I have just updated this analysis through the first term of the Obama Administration, and found no editorials critical of the Obama Administration. Instead, there were editorials with the following titles:
I think the UK is probably lagging behind the US here somewhat, although only to the extent that science's role as subcommittee of the Fabian Society is not publicly acknowledged to the same extent as it is over the pond.
Reader Comments (60)
Roy, nice post. Interestingly, in Australia the old-style Labor (yep, that's how they spell it!) Party was primarily, Catholic, while the conservatives were the Anglican establishment. When the Party was founded at the beginning of the C20th, the underclass was overwhelmingly Irish Catholic, and this demographic dominated the Party until the late 1960s.
Their ideology came strongly from the welfarist traditions of the Catholic Church, which was for many years a major provider of social services before the Welfare State was established. There were always a good number of non-conformist Protestants involved as well, but not nearly as strongly as in Britain.
In practical terms, though, the objectives and outcomes were very similar. Irish Catholics were a bit more relaxed about drinking, gambling and having fun generally, but were otherwise socially conservative and driven by a religious morality about caring for your fellow man.
Some people have suggested that talking about left, right, communist and fascist is no longer helpful or meaningful. I do not agree with that but what is true is that there is no point using the words left or right when referring to Labour, Conservative or Liberal democrat. Actually perhaps one could say that the Lib Dumbs are indeed left wing.
In the main the above three parties do not contain conviction politicians (at least at cabinet level), they just want to be in power.
There are words that have lost their meaning though, the Conservatives campaigned on a platform of small government and "we know whose money we are spending". I think now that their idea of small government was reducing the number of people in the public sector, they do not understand the real meaning at all.
The issue of fat people, of people who drink (peacefully) too much or eat too much fat or salt etc etc; if these people are not dependent on the state then it has fuck all to do with the state. How much energy they use, how much petrol they use, how big a car they drive and what roads they drive on; all these things should have nothing to do with the state as long as people have paid their taxes and their bills and work/have worked for a living.
The problem is the people who do not and do not want to work for a living.
This has been a hugely inspiring thread, people of all sides of the political spectrum throwing free thinking political ideas around without hurling abuse at each other ^.^
>>Some people have suggested that talking about left, right, communist and fascist is no longer helpful or meaningful.<<
I wonder sometimes if, in 80 or so years time, people will be arguing whether the latest political fad, Thingy-ism, will attract the criticism, 'this is just Thingy-Environmentalism.
Environmentalism deserves its own noun. It's unique, and is the result of things particular to political circumstances and events 1960-2000 (ish). No doubt, that is in the shadow of WWII, the Cold War, and so on. But different.
Again - Spengler is interesting on Socialism, and the part he thinks it will play in the 21st Century, which he sees to be inevitable. As noted, his definition is not quite as we see Socialism, but it contains that within it. I quite understand why it is an ideology which has recurring attractions, and that there are - at the material level - good reasons for that. Neverthless, I think it ultimately a debased and dangerous ideology (and yes, I don't like ideologies full stop. As my Granny would say - it will (they will all) end in tears. They will be the downfall of the West, that I do believe.
Fascism was invented during WW1 explicitly to be separate from either right or left, and consequently lots of people came to it from both directions. Mussolini is the best known leftist who became a fascist but in the UK we had our very own Oswald Mosley, who was a Labour minister just before he became a fascist.
What I am suggesting really is that ecofascism is best understood in terms of the Diablo 3 Gold fascist agenda rather than the left or rigth wing agenda. Some leftists embrace ecofascism because it is anti-business and pro-levelling down; some on the right embrace it because it promises to enrich them personally - Tim Yeo is perhaps the most odious example of this.
On the Methodist part in the origins of the Labour party; yes, a wholly benevolent influence, which is sadly missed in the modern party. Add to that the links with the Co-operative movement, and you have a party that truly represented the working class; far more self-supporting than the tattered remnants we witness today are, and far more interested in self-improvement. But I won't get on to the subject of how education in this country has been degraded by the vile dogma of "one size fits all".
Great discussion! Though my belief is that we as a country have had it, and indeed, that Western Civilisation has had it, and that there is serious trouble ahead. We are in an advanced state of sclerosis.
@Jan 4, 2013 at 7:19 AM | g2pis
Your "Diablo 3 Gold" link leads to some games page. Van you clarify what it is that you are referring to by "the Diablo 3 Gold fascist agenda"?
On control in politics, and specifically referring to the Left (Ben), I was thinking more of how Napoleonic Law (that which is not expressly permitted is forbidden) is replacing Common Law (the converse) in the UK; and how at the Micro level, this has also been implemented. I recall when Labour legislation ended up with poetry readings at pubs having to be licensed, one local council noted that they had an employee whose function was to scan local newspapers looking for "unlicensed activity". Control that interferes more and more with what once were everyday pastimes.
Similarly, the EU is intruding where it has no right to do so. I don't know how many of you know of Camphill Villages; they are an offshoot of Steiner's work that provides community and real work for the disabled. The workers there are unpaid; they receive board and lodging, and appropriate expensed. The EU is not happy that workers in these communities are not paid, and this is causing the movement in Europe a lot of problems. This is none of their business, all the more so as this is the purest form of vocational work that you can imagine. If you ever have a chance to visit one (and they exist all over the world), grab the chance. Here's the link to the Botton Community, on the North Yorks Moors, where I first ran into them, and indeed, was moved to became involved in Steiner Education.
http://www.cvt.org.uk/our-communities/botton-village-north-yorkshire
jeremy, the comment from g2pis is spam. It is copied from j4r's comment in the previous page. The linked site is likely malicious as it is not the real Diablo III website.
@Jan 4, 2013 at 10:38 AM | shub
Thanks! Thought it might be.
This discussion reminds me why I now support UKIP