With a number of readers writing me and asking for some commentary on Chris Mooney’s recent book, “The Republican War on Science,” I thought I’d offer a few thoughts. I expect that there will be some comments, questions and criticisms and I am happy to address these in subsequent posts. It is a complicated subject. This post is not a book review, but an attempt to engage the “Mooney thesis” from a big-picture perspective. Mooney’s work and accompanying marketing blitz has people talking and debating, and that is quite an accomplishment in today’s over-saturated information environment. Chris was kind enough to send to me a signed copy of his book with a “thank you” for always challenging him, and I appreciate that. This post continues in that spirit – seeking to challenge Mooney’s thesis in a respectful, intellectually-grounded manner.
However, I’ll admit to being reluctant to do so. The Mooney thesis is a clever, even brilliant, wedge device, like a political Rorschach test if you will. It is difficult in this context to engage in intelligent debate about the substance of Mooney’s thesis without ideologues being quick to ascribe a political motivation for one’s views, and then to ignore the substance. It is not uncommon to see ensuing discussion devolve into angry ad hominem attacks and mindless witnessing to one’s own political values. That being said, because Mooney’s thesis forces science policy to be discussed in Republican-Democrat terms, it is ironically enough an important factor in the contemporary politicization of science. This is not a statement about Mooney’s motivations, but the effects that his work has had on science policy debate and discussions, which I observe in classes and in professional collaborations every day. Such debates are polarized from the start, and getting people to consider the factors that enable the misuse of science is clouded by their partisan lenses. I do believe that there are factors that are independent of party affiliation that enable, and even motivate, the politicization of science.
Here is Mooney’s thesis in his own words:
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