Is Science Just Elegant Bullshit?


Is Science Just Elegant Bullshit?

By Kirstin Halliday

 

Let's talk about "bullshit." Yes, you actually read that correctly. According to Harry Frankfurt's philosophical analysis, the term "bullshit" is more than just slang. It's an integral concept that can be used to make sense of the sometimes overlooked tension between persuasion and truth in scientific discourse. This tension creates a difficult environment for anyone attempting to understand the boundaries and reliability of science, especially when combined with the shifting paradigms that Thomas Kuhn so brilliantly emphasized in his works. The intersection of these concepts forces us to wrestle with an unsettling question: "In the quest for understanding our world, how much of what we accept as scientific 'truth' is filtered through a lens of simplicity, political agenda, or, dare we say, 'bullshit'?”


Delving into the murky waters of scientific communication, Frankfurt's analysis of bullshit shines a harsh light on a disturbing trend–the transition from a noble pursuit of truth to a cunning game of conquest. This movement has its roots in the age-old practice of sophistry, which prioritizes influencing opinion over discovering the truth. It is a radical shift from the epistemic quest of science, which is grounded in empirical research and aims to deepen our understanding. However, science is often where partisanship rears its ugly head, with data selectively chosen or manipulated to support predetermined positions (let’s not even get into the pervasiveness of confirmation bias here). Science communication, if it were a place, would be the perfect venue to host a sophisticated dance of "bullshit,” where the truth is deceptively sidestepped rather than outright misled to achieve particular goals, often ignoring the true scientific facts that are hidden beneath. 


Frankfurt's idea of indifference to truth (bullshitting) resonates with a disturbing correlation between the practice of manipulating research to fit narratives and the steady decline of public trust. Though their assertions aren't explicit lies, they are disconnected from a dedication to real truth, and the bullshitter reigns supreme in this world. This is especially apparent in scientific discourse, where complicated truths are willfully twisted to fit familiar, digestible narratives, blatantly disregarding the nuanced and imperfect character of scientific knowledge.


Another piece of the puzzle is offered by Kuhn's paradigm theory, which asserts that science follows a winding road marked by paradigm shifts rather than an uninterrupted march towards truth. This viewpoint fundamentally alters the way we think about scientific theories by showing how easily new data and points of view can arise. The dominant scientific theories and practices are known as paradigms. These theories rule until they change into anomalies in which they are unable to be verified, which causes a paradigmatic crisis and ultimately the development of a new theory. This process emphasizes how fragile scientific "facts" are, highlighting the reality that our perceptions of what is true are often a reflection of the frameworks in which we currently interpret the data. Kuhn's theory tells the story of science as as a dynamic, ever-changing field in which change is inevitable and the pursuit of the ‘truth’ is a continuous, complex journey rather than an ultimate, tangible goal that can be achieved.


In the end, confronting Frankfurt's liberated evaluation of "bullshit," Kuhn's fundamental paradigm shifts, and the murky seas of science's politicization, is not just another academic pursuit. Actually, to me, it is a sounding alarm that is calling us to shake off our complacency. This trifecta challenges us to strip away the seductive allures of manipulated narratives and face the raw, and sometimes uncomfortable truths of the scientific journey. In order to protect the integrity of scientific research from the sly leakage of political and ideological distortions, we have to evolve into vigilant sentinels. Let us have the courage to welcome the volatility that comes with paradigm shifts, to question with the intensity of a skeptic, and to demand transparency with the dedication of an apostle. 

























Works Cited

Carter, Craig A. “Scientific American Descends Into Sophistry.” American Reformer, 8 June 2023, americanreformer.org/2023/06/scientific-american-descends-into-sophistry.

Flam, F.D. “Question Authority, but Trust Science.” Bloomberg.Com, Bloomberg, 6 Nov. 2016, www.bloomberg.com/view/articles/2016-11-06/question-authority-but-trust-science. 

Frankfurt, Harry G. On Bullshit. Princeton University Press, 2005. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt7t4wr. 

Kuhn, Thomas S. The Structure of Scientific Revolutions. University of Chicago Press, 1962.

Thompson, Derek. “Why There Is So Much Bullshit in Science.” The Ringer, 11 Jan. 2023, www.theringer.com/2023/1/11/23550859/why-there-is-so-much-bullshit-in-science.

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