Enough Science, Gimme Some Truth: Part I

By Jason Holland and William Hawes

“I’m sick and tired of hearing things

From uptight, short-sighted, narrow-minded hypocritics

All I want is the truth

Just gimme some truth”

John Lennon, “Gimme Some Truth”

Science is a sacred cow. People tend to get real punchy when you blaspheme a sacred cow.

Understood.

However in the name of what is called good science an objective lens might be helpful to see if this sacred cow is worth revering. Scientific thought and its applications should be able to hold up to some scrutiny when put under the microscope, yet the empirical evidence clearly shows our industry-driven approach to science is doing something very different than the uncontaminated version the likes of which Neil DeGrasse Tyson promotes on late night talk shows.

A big picture critique is being ignored by the mainstream press, which too often acts as nothing more than a paid cheerleader of most anything science and tech related. Primarily being ignored are the implications of Big Science in the context of humanity’s current struggle with the centralization of social power along with ecological consequences that employ scientific thinking to reinforce a system of dominance. Our chosen technologies have branching socioeconomic implications that largely go unconsidered when the masses are only sold the sizzle of science and technology.