The more Democrats know about global warming, the more concerned they are. But Republicans who consider themselves well informed on the topic are no more worried than those who profess ignorance. This is because conservative news sources are highly sceptical of climate science, say a pair of political psychologists at Stanford University. (New Scientist, 31 May 2008).
But then devout Christians in the time of Galileo were sceptical about the Earth moving around the Sun and even doubted that the earth was spherical. Regrettably, when the climate science is proved right these conservatives will be dead and buried – – and their children and grand-children may be too, thanks to the business interests that pay for bogus research into climate change. Scary!
Epicurus would no doubt say that this is the price you pay for politics intruding on science and shouting down the huge majority of scientists who are desperately warning us of impending problems.
Unfortunately, scientists are as political as anyone else. The 20th Century has seen science used for political purposes (atom bombs among many other items) and scientists are as interested in money and fame as anyone else. A small proportion of them are as venal. The innocent days of Newton and the early scientists seem like a golden age.