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> When some "authority" (some random internet commenter, or the CDC, or Facebook, or whoever) politicizes science.... What does that mean though? For example,

> When some "authority" (some random internet commenter, or the CDC, or Facebook, or whoever) politicizes science.... What does that mean though? For example, I would hope most people on HN accept that our current best research indicates that climate change is a real thing and a problem. But given that (apolitical) starting point, you then need to do something with that information, and that is inherently political. Even doing nothing with it is a political position (the position that government should not interfere). So how do you avoid politicising science?

AnimalMuppet 5y ago
OK, take climate change. Here's the data. That's not politicized (or at least, that's not what I'm talking about). "Vote Democrat, because climate change" is politicized. And when the Democratic program is going to not actually address climate change in any meaningful way, then people tune out on those who say "but science" to tell people how they should vote. Or take vaccines. The data is there that vaccines are helpful. But "get vaccinated or you're a Nazi" is... something else. It's politicizing. It's also stupidly ineffective, because what you're saying is ridiculous, and people know it. So they tune you out.
- cgrealy 5y ago
  But the problem in both those cases is that one group are dismissing the data. The Democrats might not being doing anything about climate change, but half of the Republicans are flat out saying the science is a hoax. I'm really trying not to make this about be a one-sided "left vs right" argument (god knows, there are enough dumb ideas on the liberal side around "alternative medicine"), but the two most pressing issues right now (climate change and covid) are markedly worse on one side of the aisle. That's not "politicising the science", that's acknowledging reality.
  - pstuart 5y ago
    One thing that is beyond vexing is that politics comprises both policy and tribal allegiance. I have no interest in the latter but it seems impossible to discuss policy without tribalism crashing the party.
- pstuart 5y ago
  Maybe I'm uninformed, but the nazi/vaccine correlation I've seen have been likening being told that one should get vaccinated is similar to the holocaust.

AnimalMuppet 5y ago

OK, take climate change. Here's the data. That's not politicized (or at least, that's not what I'm talking about). "Vote Democrat, because climate change" is politicized. And when the Democratic program is going to not actually address climate change in any meaningful way, then people tune out on those who say "but science" to tell people how they should vote. Or take vaccines. The data is there that vaccines are helpful. But "get vaccinated or you're a Nazi" is... something else. It's politicizing. It's also stupidly ineffective, because what you're saying is ridiculous, and people know it. So they tune you out.

cgrealy 5y ago
But the problem in both those cases is that one group are dismissing the data. The Democrats might not being doing anything about climate change, but half of the Republicans are flat out saying the science is a hoax. I'm really trying not to make this about be a one-sided "left vs right" argument (god knows, there are enough dumb ideas on the liberal side around "alternative medicine"), but the two most pressing issues right now (climate change and covid) are markedly worse on one side of the aisle. That's not "politicising the science", that's acknowledging reality.
- pstuart 5y ago
  One thing that is beyond vexing is that politics comprises both policy and tribal allegiance. I have no interest in the latter but it seems impossible to discuss policy without tribalism crashing the party.
pstuart 5y ago
Maybe I'm uninformed, but the nazi/vaccine correlation I've seen have been likening being told that one should get vaccinated is similar to the holocaust.