Coming Soon: NEVER JUST SCIENCE

A newsletter at the intersection of science, history, and politics

Almost every day, I see well-meaning (and sometimes not-so-well-meaning) scientists and technical professionals bemoaning the decline of scientific authority in the United States. Trump’s administration has rolled back environmental protections, sidelined scientific experts, and consistently prioritized corporate profit over public health. Many scientists feel attacked, and rightly so.

But what kind of “science,” exactly, do we want to defend? The history of science is full of examples of scientists confusing their scientific expertise with a right to exercise political power. Science has given us pasteurized milk, solar panels, and a better understanding of how ecosystems interact, but it has also produced eugenics, tools for mass surveillance, and weapons of mass destruction. Science is made by people, and people are embedded in social and cultural systems. People are complicated, and science is too.

I’m launching a newsletter called Never Just Science to explore the intersection of science and politics—what is, what has been, and what might be. “Science” is never just about science, and science without values can never be just. Subscribers can expect posts every Tuesday morning on contemporary science policy, the history of science, the scourge of scientism, and viable alternatives. There may be an occasional screed (that’s a promise, not a threat.)

Science, on its own, cannot save us from the concurrent challenges of racism, xenophobia, income inequality, and climate change, and yet, we need science’s insights to collectively make the world a better place. Sign up today to start learning together March 3.

In the meantime, tell your friends!