If you earn your living as a Conservative commentator like Jonah Goldberg and have worked to gain a reputation, it is important to have convincing arguments. To establish your own credibility, it's also important to bash the opposition. In his editorial Jonah declares science has been made into a weapon of leftist philosophy. This is a stretch because science itself is politically neutral. Only opinion writers bestriding the political divide of American politics want to convince anyone otherwise. Science is about facts and what can be proved by empirical evidence. Goldberg also fails to distinguish "science" from "scientists." Scientists are encouraged to hypothesize and speculate about any possible theory for as long as anybody is prepared to pay them attention and they provide proof. Rival scientists can argue as many wacky theories as they want until they present objective evidence and theories are peer reviewed. Politicians, however, will seize on any theory they read about to use as political fodder regardless of whether based on facts. As any political commentator will tell you, nothing gets more attention than controversy.

Another mistake is that Jonah does not make it clear that scientists themselves are not a homogeneous group. As knowledge has accelerated over the last two hundred years, the different branches of science have grown and so scientists, looking ever more deeply into the mysteries of the universe, become more and more specialized. An astrophysicist does not have the same skill sets as a microbiologist. Putting a radiologist in charge of a pandemic can be problematic.

Goldberg seems to suggest that the riots this summer are possibly a cure for the problem of racism. But racism did not appear overnight. Sociologically and economically it has been built into the fabric of our society for over three hundred years. Removing it is difficult, slow and challenging. The riots this year after the death of George Floyd are the symptoms of the disease. The cure needs the sort of political will that is difficult to sustain. A benevolent dictator might be able to do it quickly. Our plodding democratic system lumbers around in the dark tinkering with the dials trying its best to give everybody equal and fair access. If we want social harmony then we will need to bear in mind past injustices. This is a problem of society and politics not science.

According to Goldberg, scientists should not comment on politics and visa verse. This is impossible because science and politics and economics all meet everyday in our lives from vaccination and medicine, food production, plastics, and the environment etc. Politicians cannot be allowed to get away with whacky ideas about vapor trails left by planes but must support good science such everyone to wearing masks. There must be facts behind the science. We have to insist that our politicians do not just float any idea which they think might supports their popularity. They, like the citizenry, must have a some grounding in the basics of science. As we become more and more dependent on science for the way we live, supporting wild conspiracy theories can be disastrous. But then I suppose if you think drinking bleach will cure you of Covid-19 perhaps you should be encouraged.