When we abandon the scientific process and choose whatever conclusion best suits our whims, preferences, or proclivities, the underlying scientific reality doesn’t stop being true. We simply suffer the consequences that come along with choosing a less-than-optimal path for dealing with the very real problems that we’re facing.
I can’t help but think of the film The Death of Stalin (itself pulling from the reality of the time) where they tried to find a doctor who could save his life only to realize they purged all the good doctors.
This is most serious. Ignoring scientific research will definitely send them backwards.
It’s clear that there is some government censorship, and then there people in corporations self-censoring, and then there’s also money being pulled from various public funds that went to science.
Those are somewhat distinct things, right? I was curious if you’re trying to emphasize one or more of them as being particularly insidious.
The biggest issue is a government which can never admit there is a problem or crisis and insists everything is going well and to suggest so means death.