Victor Davis Hanson: Follow The ‘Science,’ They Said

American Greatness ^ | March 21, 2021 | Victor Davis Hanson

[Mr.Unique]

As a general rule, the next time an official, a politician, or an expert lectures us on the “science,” make sure that he is not projecting his own unscientific biases onto others.

Throughout the Trump years and in particular during the 2020 COVID pandemic crisis, the nation was lectured by the Left “to follow the data,” as the Democrats proclaimed themselves the “party of science.” As sober and judicious children of the enlightenment, they alone offered the necessary disinterested correctives to Trump’s supposed bluster and exaggeration—and to his anti-scientific deplorable following (often dismissed by Biden as dregs, chumps, and Neanderthals).

In truth, leftists and Democrats have become the purveyors of superstition. Their creation of a fantasy world is not because they do not believe in science per se, but because they believe more in the primacy of ideology that should shape and warp science in the proper fashion for the greater good. What prompted Paul Ehrlich, Al Gore, or Representative Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) hysterically and wrongly to forecast widespread demographic or climatological catastrophe in just a few years was not ignorance of science per se, but a desire to massage science for our own good.

[Mr.Unique]

A theme, with several topics covered.

I found this interesting: "The science might suggest that in matters of hate crimes—if society insists on focusing on the race and ethnicity of the attacker and knows the motive—it should then compare relative percentages of the population to determine who is inordinately, or not inordinately, committing such crimes."

The left definitely does not want to do this math.

[Steely Tom]

[Science] == [whatever helps the left promote its agenda]

[NormsRevenge]

Political ‘science’, that is.

[NormsRevenge]

Political ‘science’, that is.

[epluribus_2]

Mortuary Science in the case of Nursing Homes.

[FamiliarFace]

“while targeted wearing of masks and social distancing and quarantining of vulnerable populations are necessary”

Nice piece, however, I take issue with Hanson in his statement above. I think we can also follow the science (ie. data) to show that the wearing of masks has had little effect in slowing the virus. States without mask mandates have fared as well as those which had them. They are mildly effective at stopping the virus, but very effective in turning people against each other. That was also one of the desires of the left.

[Migraine]

The Lefties follow the science fiction. They are big fans.

[Carl Vehse]

"Science is the belief in the ignorance of experts." - Richard Feynman ("What is Science?", The Physics Teacher, September, 1969, 7:6, p. 320)

[LibertyOh]

Masks to protect us from an aerosolized virus is like using a chain link fence as a mosquito net.

[Shady]

As I have mentioned several times here, if a Lib comes up to you and hisses “Follow the Science, BOOMER!” Mention, quietly that sex is determined by an XX or an XY Chromasome, Laugh at their stupidity and walk the heck away...

[Skepolitic]

Please follow the proper style convention:

It is not the "Science"; it's The Science™.

[Mariner]

“States without mask mandates have fared as well as those which had them.”

There’s an enormous difference in mandates vs prevalence.

States with mandates didn’t necessarily gain widespread compliance, and those without had quite a few in masks.

That metric is worthless.

[Billthedrill]

Great article, and thanks for posting. Bookmarked for later reference.

Nearly all of the strident appeals to Science in the media come from people with journalism degrees who wouldn't recognize scientific methodology if they tripped over it. These are, on the contrary, thinly-veiled appeals to authority (the left is particularly fond of authority) onto which they have conferred godhead. Damn the data, up the narrative!

This doesn't work in science. As Richard Feynman said,

If it disagrees with experiment, it’s wrong. In that simple statement is the key to science. It doesn’t make any difference how beautiful your guess is, it doesn’t matter how smart you are who made the guess, or what his name is… If it disagrees with experiment, it’s wrong. That’s all there is to it.

Hence the most basic requirement of peer review: show me the raw, unfiltered, untweaked data and describe your statistical methodology. Or give up on "Science".

[Mr.Unique]

Nearly all of the strident appeals to Science in the media come from people with journalism degrees who wouldn't recognize scientific methodology if they tripped over it.

Love it!

[bitt]

p

[systemjim]

Those who follow the science do not quarantine healthy people.

[MrRelevant]

This guy is the best

[Jane Long]

👍🏼

[Cletus.D.Yokel]

Political Science = Sociology of Politics
Just dressed up in a lab-coat.

[Steve Van Doorn]

Science == []
"logical Positivism" the belief every theory has a logical fault therefore no theory is true. Example. 2+2=4 it has been proven if you discount every other number in existence. Though you haven't there for it's not true. It's the argument that many believe today why all science is wrong.
Georges Sorel(1847-1922)(syndicalist who started Sorelianism) created a political ideology based on "logical positivism where a state driven myth drives the people About Georges sorel (In: The Birth of Fascist Ideology de Maia Ashéri, Zeev Sternhell )