Working Up

by Dwayne Phillips

Politics often delves into hyperbole to make a point. Hyperbole could be the death of science.

A recent poll (don’t you love it when someone starts with that phrase?) shows that Americans view scientists as competent but not trustworthy. What’s up with that? Politics.

IMHO, scientists are depending too much on politicians for funding their science. The scientists have to report in ways that bolster the unscientific opinions of the sponsoring politicians.

Associating closely with politicians is fraught with peril. One bad habit of politicians is the use of hyperbole. They take evidence that leans in one direction but needs further study and exaggerate. As a result, the scientists is associated with the exaggerated or hyperbolic claims.

We know what the temperature of the earth was 20,000 years ago to a tenth of a degree!

Really? Perhaps the scientist reported something like:

Given our measurements of arctic ice prevailing theories of gas in ice and temperature of the atmosphere, and the calculations from the most-accepted parametric models, and the limitations of significant digits…

That doesn’t sound so hyperbolic. It also doesn’t sell well on the evening news sound bites. It is, however, what a scientist would say if s/he weren’t depending on a big fat check to continue research and continue feeding a family and making the mortgage payments.

Let’s not just pick on the climate scientists. Other scientists “know” the color of the skin of dinosaurs. Other scientists know how big the dinosaurs were (until someone finds some more bones). Other scientists know… well, you know.

Science is difficult. Finding funds for science is difficult. We make deals with politicians to get funds, then we give them our reports, then we cringe privately when we hear science statements turned to hyperbolic political statements. Then we go back to the source of funds.

Aligning science with political movements is a bad idea.