Practitioners of the so-called “hard” sciences, ones based primarily on quantitative — rather than qualitative — analysis, are presumed by far too many people to be above reproach. The gullible believe them to be (as was Det. Friday on the televisions program Dragnet), after “just the facts.”
If only it were so. It seems that politics has always polluted every nook and cranny of academic endeavor. And it also seems that, for Democrats in particular, party affiliation trumps all.
Even in disciplines such as physics and astronomy, “service to party” is a noxious intrusion. See: Intelligent Dishonesty (by design) http://emmeffemm.com/id30.htm.
Most disturbing to me was a comment I read in a local newspaper. It was embedded in a column written by a retired Christian minister. In it, he revealed that he preached many things from the pulpit that he really didn’t believe. It was his job, you see.
But now that he was retired, he opted to let his liberal “freak flag fly.” He decided to take a few jabs at Christianity — as a service to local Democrats (who clearly viewed spiritual adherents as conservatives).
I say, he owes his former congregation one huge refund.
