I think just using “science” as a catch-all term makes it harder to comprehend what a society would look like. Instead, I try and think of it by using research-backed policies.
This research shows that providing free childcare results in better educated students, happier families, and less crime later in life.
This research shows that having walkable cities reduces pollution, better supports small businesses, and makes our population healthier.
This research shows that getting yearly vaccinations, washing hands, and wearing masks when sick greatly reduces the spread of germs.
Banning abortion makes women more at-risk for dying during childbirth and ends up having families make risky decisions since a fetus isn’t actually a person yet.
Then after all the research and actual peer-reviews (not just for-profit journals having a say), policies would be made to support what makes for a better society.
Then after all the research and actual peer-reviews (not just for-profit journals having a say), policies would be made to support what makes for a better society.
Policies would be made by whom, though? The people, or democratically elected representatives of the people, can choose to make policies informed by peer-reviewed research, but they can also choose to ignore peer-reviewed research entirely. Here in the US it’s done all the time. Many of our politicians, and the people who vote them into office, often reject evidence and research based information that they find inconvenient or which runs counter to their world view.
Yeah, but that’s basically the point. Posts like this are nice to have because they inspire a different way of thinking of what could be. I would love for democratically-elected leaders that are well-educated and actually serve those they represent and vote/make policies that are backed by facts and research. The system we have now realistically works well to an extent, though there are large problems. And as much as most people don’t want to admit, it’s going to take large, slow efforts at the bottom in order for the changes at the top to happen.
Also, back to the point about elected officials not representing the people, I actually think they do for the most part. The bad part is that the people that vote those politicians in are people that reject facts and research themselves and/or blame others for their problems. But again, the large, slow effort is needed at the bottom to talk to neighbors and family members that they are wrong and try and help them see things not from a hateful world view.
All that to basically say that I understand reality, but I can still wish for a better system and better people haha
I think just using “science” as a catch-all term makes it harder to comprehend what a society would look like. Instead, I try and think of it by using research-backed policies.
This research shows that providing free childcare results in better educated students, happier families, and less crime later in life.
This research shows that having walkable cities reduces pollution, better supports small businesses, and makes our population healthier.
This research shows that getting yearly vaccinations, washing hands, and wearing masks when sick greatly reduces the spread of germs.
Banning abortion makes women more at-risk for dying during childbirth and ends up having families make risky decisions since a fetus isn’t actually a person yet.
Then after all the research and actual peer-reviews (not just for-profit journals having a say), policies would be made to support what makes for a better society.
Policies would be made by whom, though? The people, or democratically elected representatives of the people, can choose to make policies informed by peer-reviewed research, but they can also choose to ignore peer-reviewed research entirely. Here in the US it’s done all the time. Many of our politicians, and the people who vote them into office, often reject evidence and research based information that they find inconvenient or which runs counter to their world view.
Yeah, but that’s basically the point. Posts like this are nice to have because they inspire a different way of thinking of what could be. I would love for democratically-elected leaders that are well-educated and actually serve those they represent and vote/make policies that are backed by facts and research. The system we have now realistically works well to an extent, though there are large problems. And as much as most people don’t want to admit, it’s going to take large, slow efforts at the bottom in order for the changes at the top to happen.
Also, back to the point about elected officials not representing the people, I actually think they do for the most part. The bad part is that the people that vote those politicians in are people that reject facts and research themselves and/or blame others for their problems. But again, the large, slow effort is needed at the bottom to talk to neighbors and family members that they are wrong and try and help them see things not from a hateful world view.
All that to basically say that I understand reality, but I can still wish for a better system and better people haha