I agree with you - the complexity is that the division between 'doing science' and 'making decisions based on science and other factors' isn't necessarily clear

I agree with you - the complexity is that the division between 'doing science' and 'making decisions based on science and other factors' isn't necessarily clear. The simplest expression of this is choosing which of (possibly conflicting) papers to listen to. Drug companies have their version of this where they cherry pick clinical trials with results they like.