Can political questions be resolved by science? (created 2010-07-01).
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Regarding that quote that starts your newsletter, I have to agree with it.
He's actually quite tactful about it and did not call you an imbecile (nor
would I). Rather, there are certain questions that cannot be resolved by
science, such as whether the government's need to insure fair revenue
generation should take priority over individual privacy
rights,
just to quote one example on this Facebook page. Massimo Pigliucci wrote a
nice article in the July/August Skeptical Inquirer "Can Science Answer Moral
Questions". You could easily substitute the word "Political" for "Moral" and
the point would be the same.
Now you are perfectly in your rights to post whatever you please, and with all
the good work you've done, you've earned the right to stray from skepticism
into politics. But let me just say, as someone who shares many of your
political perspectives, that straying too far into politics will weaken your
message. Don't stop talking about politics entirely, as politics will often
encroach unfairly on science. But some political comments are not based on
science or skepticism, but rather on personal and moral beliefs. Knowing which
is which is part of being a fair and honest skeptic.
http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Skeptics-Dictionary/195265446870
"I like your stuff, it helps me think about stuff. But your political opinion pieces show you to be a little too confident of your thinking abilities." --from one of my more self-conscious readers (I find it enlightening that people we admire for their astuteness become imbeciles when they disagree with us.)