From Ikonoclast (originally posted as a comment) There is clearly a strong correlation between science denialism and COVID-19 case rates in developed and semi-developed countries. Capitalism has an ambivalent relationship with science. Capitalists love production science and technology, including of course mining, industrial, consumerist, military, security, control and persuasion techs but they hate impact science. The impact sciences of course measure the impacts of science and technology (and natural events) on the biosphere, environments, plants, animals and humans. Capitalism does not want any interference from impact science knowledge getting in the way of profits for the few. https://insideclimatenews.org/news/08042020/science-denial-coronavirus-covid-climate-change When it
Topics:
Editor considers the following as important: Uncategorized
This could be interesting, too:
John Quiggin writes Dispensing with the US-centric financial system
John Quiggin writes How to dispense with Trump’s US
John Quiggin writes Trump has thrown out the global economic playbook. It’s time for Australia to write its own rules
tom writes Germany’s election & why it is important to understand the Ukraine War
from Ikonoclast (originally posted as a comment)
There is clearly a strong correlation between science denialism and COVID-19 case rates in developed and semi-developed countries. Capitalism has an ambivalent relationship with science. Capitalists love production science and technology, including of course mining, industrial, consumerist, military, security, control and persuasion techs but they hate impact science. The impact sciences of course measure the impacts of science and technology (and natural events) on the biosphere, environments, plants, animals and humans. Capitalism does not want any interference from impact science knowledge getting in the way of profits for the few.
https://insideclimatenews.org/news/08042020/science-denial-coronavirus-covid-climate-change
When it comes right down to it Capitalism is anti-science. To accept only the answers you want (from production science) and to deny the answers you don’t want (from impact science) is unempirical and not in the spirit of the proper holistic (complex systems) application of science. Cherry-picking evidence and science disciplines for promotion and demotion on the basis of ideology is not a characteristic of a science-guided or an ethics guided society.
Capitalism is also anti-democratic. The few with great wealth control the direction of our civilization more than any others. Capitalism is anti-ethical. It destroys environments and humans for elite profits. That, as we would say in Australia, is the trifecta. Capitalism is anti-democratic, anti-science and anti-ethical. It’s a maladaptive system now in collapse. The proof is in the outcomes. All serious impact scientists know to high degree of probability (99% plus) that we are on the path to complete global collapse. It is one minute to midnight in terms of the urgency for change. The COVID-19 challenge is the last chance to change our path. Returning to business as usual (that is the continued destruction of the biosphere) is NOT an option. We must use the crisis to entirely remold our political economy. Decisions to save the biosphere must take precedence over decisions to make the rich richer.