Politics Disguised as Science: When to Doubt a Scientific ‘Consensus’

[rangerrebew]

Politics Disguised as Science: When to Doubt a Scientific ‘Consensus’
Anyone who has studied the history of science knows that scientists are not immune to the non-rational dynamics of the herd.


By Jay Richards Published on April 19, 2017 • 86 Comments

This week’s March for Science is odd. Marches are usually held to defend something that’s in peril. Does anyone really think big science is in danger? The mere fact that the March was scheduled for Earth Day betrays what the event is really about: politics. The organizers admitted as much early on, though they’re now busy trying to cover the event in sciencey camouflage.

If past is prologue, expect to hear a lot about the supposed “consensus” on catastrophic climate change this week. The purpose of this claim is to shut up skeptical non-scientists.

https://stream.org/doubt-scientific-consensus/

[Doug Loss]

Politics Disguised as Science: When to Doubt a Scientific ‘Consensus’
Anyone who has studied the history of science knows that scientists are not immune to the non-rational dynamics of the herd.


By Jay Richards Published on April 19, 2017 • 86 Comments

This week’s March for Science is odd. Marches are usually held to defend something that’s in peril. Does anyone really think big science is in danger? The mere fact that the March was scheduled for Earth Day betrays what the event is really about: politics. The organizers admitted as much early on, though they’re now busy trying to cover the event in sciencey camouflage.

If past is prologue, expect to hear a lot about the supposed “consensus” on catastrophic climate change this week. The purpose of this claim is to shut up skeptical non-scientists.

https://stream.org/doubt-scientific-consensus/

When to doubt?  Always.  "Consensus" means exactly nothing in real science.  Provability, repeatability, and predictive strength do.