The Mooney Five Step Program for Recovery After Compulsive Science Abuse

My column from the latest issue of Seedjust went up. It's a rather ambitious one, laying out a five step plan for restoring scientific integrity in Washington, D.C. You can read the piece to see all of the steps that I propose, but so far, it's clear that Congressional Democrats are excelling at one above all others: Investigations and oversight. By contrast, when it comes to the final step that I suggest--"Learn From Their Mistakes"--I don't see as much evidence as I would like that Democrats really get it. My own view is that if the Democrats are really going to save science from rampant political abuse in the long term--and restore honor and dignity to our national conversation about science and policy--they must to do much more than hold hearings to expose wrongdoing. They must go further and articulate a powerful, positive vision of the role of science in society, in decision-making, and in democracy--and then back up that plan with a real agenda for science in the 21st century. That's what I'm really waiting for--and I haven't seen it yet. In the meantime, check out the piece.