Folks: Today I have a joint Los Angeles Times op-ed with New York University physicist Alan Sokal, of "Sokal hoax" fame, about the left, the right, and the misuse of science. The piece can be read here. What's significant about this, I think, is that Sokal is very well known for his criticisms of left-wing attacks on science, particularly those coming from the academic left, during the 1990s. I, meanwhile, am known for my criticisms of right-wing attacks on science, particularly those coming from the Republican Party and its base. But now, the two of us have come together and pointed out who the real enemy is today (i.e., the modern conservative movement), how and why that's changed, and what we can do about it. Here's a brief excerpt from the piece:
Sokal took on his postmodernist colleagues because he feared that the rejection of a rigorous, evidence-based standard for assessing claims of purported fact would disarm us not only in the face of quack medical remedies or alleged paranormal occurrences, but also when confronted by distortions of scientific information having major public-policy implications. A classic example is the tobacco industry's well-documented campaign to sow doubts about the health risks of smoking. Another is the interminable push by religious fundamentalists to undermine the teaching of evolution in American schools. As these cases suggest, attacks on science by ideologues and special interests have a long history in this country. A stance of postmodernist relativism -- or, on the part of the media, of giving "equal time" to unequally substantiated viewpoints -- weakens us in the face of such strategic campaigns to undercut well-established knowledge. But the abuse of science has lately materialized in an even more disturbing form, this time within the corridors of our own government. Driven by the Bush administration and its congressional allies, the new American "science wars" have reached an alarming stage.
The rest can be read here. Enjoy.
