Politicization of science: Galileo, global warming, and scientific independence

Politicization of Science, Causes and Consequences

In today's world, going green is more of a trend than a scientific recommendation. Wearing clothes made from recycled products or sticking Greenpeace stickers all over a suitcase or car is considered fashionable and trendy. To believe that global warming is not a result of humans' actions is considered ignorant and backwards, while thinking green and acting in such a way as to reduce one's impact on the environment is both politically and socially acceptable. Although it is regarding a different issue, today's attitude about global warming is quite similar to the one that the Romans had about Galileo and his theory that the earth revolved around the son. While Galileo was ostracized because the Catholic court held that his position was "expressly contrary to holy scriptures" (Halsall), those who believe in global warming today are similarly ostracized because their belief is contrary to holy Hollywood and Washington. A comparison between Galileo's rejection and that of modern opponents to global warming implies that politicizing science is dangerous because it makes progress difficult or even impossible by forbidding questions.

When one politicizes science, the scientists' ability to ask questions is severely reduced. And because behind every important scientific finding is a good research question, this inhibition certainly makes progress difficult. While random observations may encourage scientists to come up with good questions, good scientific evidence comes out of well-articulated questions. It is imperative, then, that scientists be able to ask such questions. When a scientist's ability to ask questions is cut short, then their possibilities are severely limited. One question usually leads to another and another until a question comes along that, when answered, changes the way humans view their world. When scientists are unable to ask any of the questions in that series because they are politically taboo, a plethora of scientific research can be lost.

A historical example of how the inability to ask questions halts scientific progress can be seen through Galileo Galilei's attempt to conduct scientific experiments during Catholic rule. Even though they were not accepted by the political authorities of his time, Galileo's scientific findings were incredible. Still, the world may have benefited from far more finds if Galileo had been able to ask more questions. In the move, "Galileo: The Challenge of Reason," viewers can clearly see how politicizing science stopped Galileo from asking questions. When at dinner with the political elite, the Catholic Church members, Galileo tried to convince them that it is important to ask questions and try experiments in science; he was refused, even when he proved himself right by proving a theory of Aristotle's wrong in front of these church members. Thus, the church halted progression by telling Galileo not to ask questions. Further, Galileo abided by that censure, saying in his abjuration that he recognized the authority of the church and accepted their terms that he not question what the political elite believed was contained in the scriptures (Halsall).

Today, those who do not agree that global warming is caused by human activity are similarly being told not to ask questions, or at least not to publish any dissent. John Coleman argues that the man who had been labeled "the grandfather of global warming," Roger Revelle, was questioning his own brainchild, issuing letters that urged politicians not to move too quickly on the issue and writing papers that urged similar action be taken. 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.