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The country runs on the principles of the constitution, not the institutional principles of science. Control over spending of taxpayer funds always must remain
by rayiner 5mo ago
The country runs on the principles of the constitution, not the institutional principles of science. Control over spending of taxpayer funds always must remain within the political system.
Voters can always choose to turn over those decisions to scientists they trust. For much of the 20th century, that’s what voters did. But if they don’t trust the priorities of the current scientific establishment, they can also choose to put that control back in the hands of political appointees. The institutional principles of science cannot override the prerogative of voters to decide how their money is spent.
- jordanpg 5mo agoThat's a lovely thought but it assumes, as with so many other things about our republican form of government, that the political appointees are good faith actors, at least with respect to funding of science. There are many reasons to suspect that the goal here is not just control of funding, but the defenestration of science more broadly because scientific findings tend to conflict with assertions politicians would like to make. I would submit that people flying on planes, using cell phones and computers, and going to the doctor don't want that, even if they think they do.
- rayiner 5mo ago> That's a lovely thought but it assumes, as with so many other things about our republican form of government, that the political appointees are good faith actors, at least with respect to funding of science. It doesn't assume that. It's simply a factual matter that the rules that govern the country are those of the constitution. And the institutional principles of particular fields are subordinate to the constitutional structure. What you're overlooking is that everything is just people. Political appointees are people. But "institutions" are also people. "Science" is just people. And the important question is: who are the people who have the power to decide how taxpayer money is spent? The only possible answer in a republic is that people accountable to the political system are allocated that power. People in the scientific establishment--people with degrees from universities and credentials from professional organizations--cannot be granted power to spend taxpayer money independent of the political system. They only have power over those decisions to the extent the political system chooses to confer that power.
- selimthegrim 5mo agoAnd when they made Islam official religion of Bangladesh in the constitution, what’s your take on that?
- rayiner 5mo agoMy take is that they shed their blood to have their own nation and they're entitled to structure their affairs however they please. It that's also what precipitated my family to leave. Just because Bangladeshis have the right of self determination doesn't mean we have to or want to live in a country with them.
- selimthegrim 5mo agoSo you don't consider yourself Bangladeshi anymore?
- oa335 5mo agoonly when rhetorically convenient i suspect
- oa335 5mo ago> Just because Bangladeshis have the right of self determination doesn't mean we have to or want to live in a country with them. why do you believe you and and your family (parents and sibling) belong in the USA?
- SpicyLemonZest 5mo agoIt seems like your argument is proving way too much. If next President announces that he feels rural hospitals are an inefficient use of resources, and so all residency programs outside of major metro areas are cancelled, would you accept that as a legitimate use of funding discretion? To me it would sound like an obvious campaign of retribution against groups he finds it politically convenient to punish. (A campaign of retribution I will happily support, if Trump gets away with things like this - but I'd prefer to avoid going down that road!)
- Georgelemental 5mo ago[dead]
- SubiculumCode 5mo agoNo, what it means is that scientists are vulnerable to punishment for speaking their minds about the administration. I will not live like that.
- rayiner 5mo agoOnly if voters remain loyal to the administration that does that, in which case that's exactly what should happen. If you want taxpayer dollars, you should make nice with the people taxpayers elect to represent them. I do not intend to live in a country where supposedly unelected organizations think they have independent jurisdiction to spend public money independently of the political system.
- SubiculumCode 5mo agoNo. We have a system of laws. Canceling contracts without cause as punishment for free speech is wrong.
- BrenBarn 5mo ago> The country runs on the principles of the constitution, not the institutional principles of science. Well no wonder we're so fucked. The constitution is a disaster.
- pstuart 5mo ago> The country is supposed to run on the principles of the constitution FTFY But then your counter is likely some form of originalism as you've been instructed. The current administration and it's pet SCOTUS have no interest in the Constitution or they wouldn't be so hell bent on making POTUS king for life. A mad king at that.