The Patriot Post® · Democrats and the Decline of Science

Everyone who has had the opportunity to receive a decent education knows that science, in its pure form, requires observation and experimentation in order to reach a sufficient conclusion. It takes individuals with creative minds and a peculiar dedication to a certain subject to find out as much information as possible. Science is also responsible for incredible advancement in civilizations across the globe and has been a primary reason why we now know so much more about our planet, plants and people than ever before.

But what happens when science and politics collude to bring about “settled science” or “new evidence” that is disguised as science? Is it still science, or is it propaganda that uses “science” as an excuse to push for more laws, regulations and control over people?

Unfortunately, there is much snake oil being sold and told as science. Many people have succumbed to believing it without putting any thought into why a known fact has changed or not changed, or why something is bad for you that used to be good for you and vice versa.

There is a political party that is behind much of the so-called science we hear about these days. That of course is the Democrat Party. There is a major problem with the Party of Science™, though, and that is every time science doesn’t jive with their worldview, they ditch the evidence.

We have witnessed for quite some time now how everything is hyper-politicized and people are more worried about being politically correct than they are about being correct. Political correctness may very well have led to or at least be leading to a decline in science and if it continues, future generations may not even think to question anything for fear of being reprimanded, humiliated or ostracized from the scientific field.

In fact, it’s already happening. One example is Lawrence Summers. His tenure as president of Harvard was cut short because he merely suggested that there might be intellectual differences between men and women. The result of his punishment is that many researchers have held back on their research and have ceased investigating the differences between male and female brains.

What could possibly be wrong with researching and attempting to find differences between male and female brains? Could it be that the scientific research could prove that indeed there is a difference between the sexes — the way they think and feel, and how they are affected under certain circumstances? Why would anyone want to discourage scientists from discovering? Why indeed.

For one thing, we know that there are X chromosomes and Y chromosomes within DNA that biologically determine sex. Yet today some people claim that a person can “identify” as a male or female depending upon how they feel. But true science refutes that claim — and it has for centuries.

What about climate change? We are told by leftists and climate alarmists that fossil fuels are harmful for the environment and that the overuse of them is causing unwanted pollution. And of course the narrative that “we are killing our environment” by fossil fuel use is a major theme. But many scientists say the opposite is true. Alex Epstein, director of the Center for Industrial Progress, has shown that “burning fossil fuels has improved the lives of millions in the developed world by helping solve their biggest environmental challenges, purified their water and air, made their cities and homes more sanitary and kept them safe from potential catastrophic climate change.”

Continuing under the mantra of “science,” some leftists have proclaimed that climate change is the driving force behind refugees having to relocate. We’re all familiar with the terms “global cooling” and “global warming” — now wrapped up under the more malleable term “climate change.” Science has proven that, yes, the climate does change. But it has not proven that more government control over emissions will solve anything.

Then there is the science of life, which the Left still denies. Harvesting body parts from babies is immoral and unethical, yet many on the Left insist that it is necessary for the advancement of scientific research. This is proclaimed despite findings that for over 100 years of research on fetal tissue, there have been no medical cures that have been derived from it.

Let’s take it further. Leftists are so warped in their view on abortion, that once ultrasound technology revealed that a fetus is actually a living human inside of a woman’s body, they changed the abortion debate to being about a woman’s “right to choose.” You might say they declared, “Get your science off my body!”

Government and science can and should work together when constitutionally permitted, but the object should be to find and reveal the truth, not push a political agenda. The next time you hear the words “settled science,” consider the source and look at who or what is behind it. You may be surprised to find that the only thing settled is an ideological goal.