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Wars, Including The So-called "War on Terror" Palestine (& the Part of it Called Israel) Science (Global Climate Change, World Population, Peak Oil?/Energy, HIV/AIDS) ---------- We receive no funds from corporations, foundations, super-rich individuals, political parties or governments. We only pay our bills for this site with much appreciated donations from individuals who chip in whatever they can afford to keep us online. |
Science
The scientific method, itself, may not be political, but everything else about science in our society is very political; even the origin of bedrock assumptions about the nature of reality that are accepted virtually without question in modern science gained acceptance in large degree not because rational arguments proved them true but because they helped the Church in 17th century Europe defeat ideas that undermined the credibility of the religious dogma that was the basis for the authority of the Church, as discussed here. A corporate/government elite, and not ordinary people, control what scientists will be funded to research and what they will not be funded to research. Elite objectives are social control, power, privilege and wealth, not what is best for the common good. The elite also control what the mass media tell the public about valid scientific research, for example whether there is or is not a broad consensus of scientists expert in the field who agree with the hypothesis that human beings are causing global warming. Ordinary scientists may believe X, but if the elite want us to think they believe Y that's what the mass media will say, and the scientists will have a hard time letting the public know otherwise. The elite may also use their power of the purse to promote some scientific views and marginalize opposing views for motives that are political, not scientific. Some people say this is the case with the "HIV causes AIDS" hypothesis." In the past, ruling elites told people to obey the Church and its annointed Kings and Emperors because it was "God's will" and if they disobeyed then not only would they personally spend an eternity in Hell suffering unimaginable torment, but also the very structure of the cosmos would be at risk of destruction. This was an extremely persuasive argument for a long time. But now it is less persuasive. With the emergence of capitalism a new "scientific" argument for obedience came to the fore. Defenders of capitalism argue that it is the only social system based on "scientific reality," namely the "reality" of "human nature," that human beings are motivated by self-interest above all else. Society, therefore, so the argument goes, needs to be based on the principle that people will primarily pursue their self-interest, and that this needs to be channelled as much as possible towards the good of society. Adam Smith famously conjured up his "invisible hand" theory to explain how a capitalist society based on self-interest, competition for personal gain, and inequality to motivate people to strive to be a winner in a world of winners and losers, was the best of all possible worlds because the baker, in pursuing his self interest, would make bread for society, etc. To read about why this supposedly scientific view of "human nature" is wrong, see The Capitalist Big Lie about Human Nature. Ruling elites have learned to use assertions about the nature of reality to control people. This is why, whenever the ruling elite make strong supposedly "scientific" assertions, and claim that because of these "scientific" facts people must do such and such, skepticism is warranted. Being skeptical of a claim made in the name of "science" doesn't mean declaring it is false; it simply means keeping in mind that it may be false, and that if an important decision hinges on its truth or falseness then it is important to look very carefully at the evidence pro and con rather than to rely on what the ruling elite (and people reliant on it for their funding) say. This is why this website tries to provide some of the evidence and arguments that challenge some "scientific" claims by the ruling elite that are used to make us behave in a certain way: skepticism. This "World of Science" page is sub-divided into different areas where political power and science intersect. Science is too important to be left just to the scientists working under the heel of a corporate/government elite. We the People need to keep informed about the scientific debates that our ruling elite may not want us to know about. John Spritzler, the editor of this website, is a retired Senior Research Scientist at the Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health; he has a doctor of science (in biostatistics) degree from that school and his published scientific articles are listed here.
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Turn the World Upside Down (John Spritzler's blog #1) End Class Inequality (John Spritzler's blog #2)
We CAN Change the World: The Real Meaning of Everyday Life by Dave Stratman The People as Enemy: The Leaders' Hidden Agenda in World War II by John Spritzler
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