But some fire back in support of the new President

This week hundreds of scientists rallied in Boston’s Copley Square to protest against the anti-science forces which have allegedly captured Washington. Nearby, at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, a talk titled “Defending Science and Scientific Integrity in the Age of Trump” attracted so many listeners that it had to be live-streamed into a spill-over room.

Although the organisers of the rally downplayed criticism of the President, stressed that reason and science were under threat. “It feels like there’s been a breakdown of trust between science and the public, and so it’s time for scientists to step up and start communicating directly to the public,” an MIT post-graduate student said. Scepticism towards climate change is what most of the scientists had in mind.

Some medical professionals and scientists are more direct. The Union of Concerned Scientists published an article in the leading journal Science warning colleagues of the dangers that Trump’s Administration poses for them. “Early indications that the Administration plans to distort or disregard science and evidence, coupled with the chaos and confusion occurring within federal agencies, now imperil the effectiveness of our government.”

Psychologist John Gartner has gathered 25,000 signatures on a petition to US Senator Chuck Schmer to demand Trump’s impeachment. It states that “Donald Trump manifests a serious mental illness that renders him psychologically incapable of competently discharging the duties of President of the United States.” Needless to say, none of the signatories have examined Mr Trump.

While most scientists do seem uncomfortable with Trump, he does have some supporters. Richard Lindzen, a former meteorology professor at MIT, told The Atlantic: “I have the feeling that there is Trump derangement syndrome,” he said. “People are reacting to anything he does and going on a rampage.” He welcomes freedom from the oppression of political correctness.

Two names have been mentioned in the media as candidates for Trump’s science advisor – Princeton physicist William Happer and Yale computer scientist David Gelernter. Both of them are described as climate change sceptics. Without endorsing all of Trump’s policies, Gelernter was scornful of protests by scientists:

“Trump is not walking around pontificating on science. He has no science policy. The idea that he’s anti-science is bigoted. I think it’s the worst kind of bigotry. It’s the kind of bigotry that says, non-Ivy League–PhDs—ordinary human beings who haven’t won any science awards and don’t come from Harvard—are probably too stupid to be interested in science. I’ve seen that attitude all over. I think it’s disgusting, as bigotry generally is disgusting.”

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Michael Cook

Michael Cook edits BioEdge, a bioethics newsletter, and MercatorNet, an on-line magazine whose focus is human dignity. He writes from Sydney, Australia.

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