What follows are two quotes from a recent Substack post by the famous Nobel laureate in economics, Paul Krugman. I think they deserve attention.
“(O)ne thing we know about (‘Make America Great Again’) types is that they are determined to hold on to their prejudices. If science conflicts with those prejudices, they don’t want to know, and they don’t want anyone else to know either.”
“(S)cience has a tendency to tell you things you may not want to hear. Medical research may tell you that vaccines work and don’t cause autism. Energy research may tell (you) wind power works and doesn’t massacre birds.”
These quotes come as a response to Nature magazine’s recent announcement that U.S. National Science Foundation funds have been frozen.
What is going on? It’s as if someone has decided that civilization has progressed far enough and that it is time to go back to the world before Christian values and science, i.e., a world of superstition, a world of killer diseases and plagues, a world where even the mention of “climate change” is prohibited, a world where life is once again brutish and short both for rich and poor. In other words, a world where might makes right and truth is in the eye of the beholder, especially if that beholder is male, White, rich and powerful.
As for the virtues taught by Jesus — e.g., humility, love of the stranger, love of neighbor and the “least of these” — forget about it: It would seem that arrogance and cruelty have taken their place.
What will become of us if MAGA has its way? We dare not contemplate such a fate. We must save our democracy here and now.
Frederick Longacre
Hockessin
Reader reactions, pro or con, are welcomed at civiltalk@iniusa.org.
