3 ms·
Guidance is normative, not descriptive. Science itself cannot tell anyone what to do. No amount of "science" can tell you how to prioritize your messaging, mask
by vehemenz 4y ago
Guidance is normative, not descriptive. Science itself cannot tell anyone what to do. No amount of "science" can tell you how to prioritize your messaging, mask production/distribution, and hospital usage.
Why is it inherently bad that the early pandemic guidance had a political valence? Obviously, no one likes to be misled, but the CDC and WHO were making decisions that would affect billions of people in the absence of any US leadership.
- s1artibartfast 4y agoI wholeheartedly agree that there is science and public policy. The two are different. Many choices are political and should be. For example, The tradeoff of how many deaths is it worth to keep open schools has no scientific answer. The problem is when lies are used to misrepresent the science to achieve a desirable policy outcome. The ultimate reason not to lie is that it undermines social trust and democracy.