March for Science? March On.

By Carl Kruse
Some scientist friends have come out against the upcoming March For Science, saying that
while good intentioned, the march runs the risk of trivializing and politicizing science, turning
scientists into another group embroiled in the culture wars and further alienating science from a
certain segment of the worlds electorate.

Who knows what the march does. But that science is increasingly under attack these days,
particularly under the current U.S. administration, should be viewed as something of a moral
crisis, a national emergency.

Poor science. Pulled us out of the dark ages and made our lives better for centuries. From
astronomy to medicine, meteorology to physics, biology to electronics. Imagine the most
educated person alive 300 years ago. They would be a total ignoramus today given how we
know our world works. This is because of science.

The good thing about science is that its true no matter what anyone believes. It works. In spite
of marches, politics or alt-news, gravity still exerts its force on anyone stepping off the Empire
State Building. Even ideas that should not be controversial, such as evolution and human-
caused climate change, are true, no matter what anyone says otherwise. We think the sun rises
every day from the east and settles in the west but we know the sun doesnt really do that.

Science sometimes seems highfalutin but its nothing more than comunal common-sense. Do
you see what I see when looking at this flower/star/rock/lung/plant? That is what science
asks. Do you see what I see? And with thousands of well-intentioned people looking at the
world and asking other thousands of well-intentioned people if they see the same thing and if
not why not, science comes to a better understanding of what is happening.

But is anything safe from politics? Galileo was imprisoned for advocating a correct view of the
cosmos, schools continue battling creationists, and climate-change deniers insist there is no
such thing.

We can use scientific knowledge to improve our lives. But we have to listen to what it says and
be willing to follow the truth where goes. You would think science safe from politics, but it is
not, so no worries about a march politicizing something that has so often been political.

Because we have found no better tactic of learning how the world works, nor a way of so
dramatically improving our lives, that we need to advocate strongly for science seems silly. But
here we are, needing to push for science. If the March For Science can accomplish even a bit of
this, it is good. And we should all join, marching in our own way.

Carl Kruse

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