Verified Document

Politicization Of Science, Causes And Essay

Because of the politicization of science, however, Revelle's questions were not made public before he died. The article that he authored reached only a small audience, and that after a fight with politics (Sheppard). Revelle's remarks at a conference about global warming that contradicted the politically correct view were similarly stricken from public record, and many scientists who did not agree with the politically correct consensus have been harassed during trials (Coleman, Sheppard). Thus, even today, the politicization of science has made asking scientific questions difficult for the members of the scientific community, as they fear being either ignored or even called out on their dissent. This issue hinders progress, as the ability to ask real questions about the issue may lead to new and different answers. When scientists cannot ask the right questions for fear of political retaliation, an entire body of work, discovery, and change can be lost. The reason for this lays in the fact that the scientific community determines in what direction science will focus, partially, based on popularity. For instance, Orsekes writes that the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change "[evaluates] the state of climate science as a basis for informed policy action, primarily on the basis of peer-reviewed and published scientific literature" (1686). This means that only what is acceptable steers policy because only acceptable questions can be asked and only acceptable publications will be granted. Thus, by politicizing science, large amounts of policy innovation and even consequences for global climate change have been ignored while those reports claiming that global climate change will, indeed, cost a great deal of money in prevention and damages have been embraced. This hinders progression greatly, as Duffy states: "Money devoted to climate change is money not devoted to other problems. So the right question is this: given our current state of knowledge, which of the problems facing humanity deserves most of our attention?" Because it does not allow scientists to ask this and other questions, the politicizing of science prevents progress.
Works Cited

Coleman, John. "The Amazing Story Behind Global Warming." KUSI News San Diego.

11 February 2009. 23 April 2009.

Duffy, Michael. "In age of reason, the brouhaha over global warming can leave you cold." The Sydney Morning Herald. 31 March 2007. 23 April 2009.

"Galileo: The Challenge of Reason." You Tube. 17 October 2007. 23 April 2009.

Halsall, Paul. "Modern History Sourcebook: The Crime of Galileo: Indictment and Abjuration of 1633." The Modern History Sourcebook. 1999.

Oreskes, Naomi. "The Scientific Consensus on Climate Change." 21 Jan. 2005. 23 April

2009. Science.

Sheppard, Marc. "Gore's Grave New World." American Thinker. 29 June 2006. 23 April

2009.

Sources used in this document:
Works Cited

Coleman, John. "The Amazing Story Behind Global Warming." KUSI News San Diego.

11 February 2009. 23 April 2009. <http://www.kusi.com/weather/colemanscorner/38574742.html>

Duffy, Michael. "In age of reason, the brouhaha over global warming can leave you cold." The Sydney Morning Herald. 31 March 2007. 23 April 2009. <http://www.smh.com.au/news/opinion/brouhaha-over-global-warming-can-leave-you-cold/2007/03/30/1174761750896.html>

"Galileo: The Challenge of Reason." You Tube. 17 October 2007. 23 April 2009.
<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QcHgfjAs-0w>
Halsall, Paul. "Modern History Sourcebook: The Crime of Galileo: Indictment and Abjuration of 1633." The Modern History Sourcebook. 1999. <http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/mod/1630galileo.html>
2009. <http://www.americanthinker.com/printpage/?url=http://www.americanthinker.com/2006/06/gores_grave_new_world.html>
Cite this Document:
Copy Bibliography Citation

Related Documents

Science V. Society the Politics
Words: 992 Length: 3 Document Type: Term Paper

The release of fossil fuels has been driving industrial and civic expansion for the past century and a half, and there is therefore a compelling reason to deny such causes: "some corporations whose revenues might be adversely affected by controls on carbon dioxide emissions have also alleged major uncertainties in the science (Oreskes). Just as in the debate over the heliocentric solar system, issues of political and/or economic motive

Political Science Inequality, Voting and American Democracy.
Words: 2923 Length: 8 Document Type: Term Paper

Political Science Inequality, Voting and American Democracy. The American political system has always prevented electoral participation by certain social groups, especially those with the fewest resources. The obstacles to participation have changed over time and today formal barriers to participation have largely disappeared. Nevertheless, voting turnout has declined over the twentieth century, and the poor and less educated continue to vote at a lower rate than those who are wealthier and

Is the European Union a State or What Else Distinguishes It From...
Words: 9068 Length: 22 Document Type: Research Paper

European Union a state, or what else distinguishes it from other International Organizations The primary question concerning global organizations as a medium of global governance relates towards the quantity and excellence of this governance within an era where we now have an overdeveloped global economy as well as an under-developed global polity (Ougaard and Higgott, 2002). There's a powerful disconnect amid governance, being an efficient and effective collective solution-seeking process

Global Warming -- It Is Authentic, but
Words: 4346 Length: 13 Document Type: Essay

Global Warming -- it Is Authentic, but Why So Many Skeptics? The phrases "global warming" and "climate change" have become household words over the past twenty years or so, and given the vast amount of discussion and research, and the clear signs that the planet is hearing up, an alert citizen can safety predict that this topic will become even more prominent in American society. What are the latest results from

Aeronautics Degree Program As Enrolled
Words: 8672 Length: 25 Document Type: Thesis

The student has provided research on various vibration analytic techniques such as the use of Laser Vibrometry for Damage Detection using Lamb Waves in discovery processes to detect microcracks. Outcome 3. The Information Literacy competency was satisfied through the research efforts made by the student through data gathering regarding aircraft structures and vibrations qualification techniques retrieved from the MIL-STD-810F and NASA Langley Research Laboratory. Techniques include Fatigue Damage Spectrum (FDS)

Gothic Imagination in Fiction
Words: 1774 Length: 6 Document Type: Term Paper

Heart of Darkness and Apocalypse Now We do not generally link the dark vision of Joseph Conrad's "Heart of Darkness" to the fripperies of Jane Austen, but we should do so because these writers can be seen as important bookmarks to the era of the modern novel and we cannot understand Conrad's work without understanding its connections to his time. By looking back to a writer like Austen we can

Sign Up for Unlimited Study Help

Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.

Get Started Now