(This thread is commentary, not criticism!) The "anti-science" label is tricky, because the attacks on science are being framed in the rhetoric of good science: transparency, rigor, objectivity, open debate How can promoting these values be *anti* science? 1/

Peter Gleick@petergleick.bsky.social · last yr.

Just released. My Nature piece: "Never before has the USA seen such an anti-intellectual, anti-science assault... History tells us that there are times when the dangers of inaction become sufficiently threatening to individuals or the planet that scientists... rdcu.be/eo3Hb

If science is understood narrowly as the pursuit of truth, it's hard to explain what's wrong with any of these things, because they self-evidently promote the pursuit of truth In the jargon of #philsci, they're all clearly epistemic ("truth-promoting") values 2/

But notice that Gleick's science isn't aimed narrowly at the pursuit of truth. His aims are much broader, addressing important threats to human health and the environment. 3/

I've argued that this is true in general. Most scientific fields don't just have epistemic aims, like truth and understanding. They also have pragmatic or practical aims. 4/ www.frontiersin.org/articles/10....

Frontiers | Impacting Capabilities: A Conceptual Framework for the Social Value of Research

There is widespread interest in evaluating the social impacts of research and other scholarly activities. Conventional metrics for social impacts focus on ec...

frontiersin.org

And members of the general public think so too! In my survey work (still under review), we've found that even political conservatives tend agree that a primary aim of science — along with truth — is to improve our understanding of threats to human health and the environment. 5/ osf.io/ks2ta_v1/

Because science typically has practical aims, the standards of good science need to go *beyond* truth. Just exemplifying those epistemic values at the top of the thread isn't good enough. Science should be "fit-for-purpose." 6/ link.springer.com/10.1007/s131...

Non-epistemic values and scientific assessment: an adequacy-for-purpose view - European Journal for Philosophy of Science

The literature on values in science struggles with questions about how to describe and manage the role of values in scientific research. We argue that progress can be made by shifting this literature’...

link.springer.com

Scientists have often been trained to adopt value-free, politically nonpartisan positions in social controversies. (See Marcia McNutt's comments this morning.) But this posture is itself anti-scientific, when it enables the weaponization of purported scientific values. 13/

Instead, I think scientists should be explicit about the values that motivate and influence their work. In my survey work on this — which has been published! — disclosing values like protecting human health seems to *increase* trust relative to value-freedom. 14/ www.frontiersin.org/articles/10....

Frontiers | Values disclosures and trust in science: A replication study

While philosophers of science generally agree that social, political, and ethical values can play legitimate roles in science, there is active debate over wh...

frontiersin.org

Take home message: Science and advocacy aren't mutually exclusive, because most science are *already* advocates. They just don't present themselves as *partisans*. Scientists should be explicit that their work is about making a better world. 15/15

YESS to everything you share in this amazing thread. It was @savewildbees.bsky.social who I first learned about this article from, and I find it resonates with students at my tech school since it's from a fellow scientist academic.oup.com/bioscience/a...

Being a scientist means taking sides

Mary H. O'Brien; Being a scientist means taking sides, BioScience, Volume 43, Issue 10, 1 November 1993, Pages 706–708, https://doi.org/10.2307/1312342

academic.oup.com

www.instagram.com/reel/DJ4UiSB...

#HappyWorldBeeDay www.instagram.com/p/DJ4QK3eNw7...

#HappyBeeDay

Sheila Colla, Ph.D@savewildbees.bsky.social · last yr.

Happy #WorldWildlifeDay. A friendly reminder that livestock cannot replace native biodiversity, despite what you may have heard.

if you are feeling helpless, a simple but incredibly valuable thing that many of us can do after a catastrophe is sign up to donate blood and plasma. www.blood.ca/en

Canadian Blood Services | Canada's Lifeline

There are many ways to join Canada's Lifeline. Discover how you can make all the difference for someone in Canada today.

blood.ca

Every day is ##EarthDay. #SaveWildBees

"If you can convince the lowest white man he's better than the best colored man, he won't notice you're picking his pocket. Hell, give him somebody to look down on, and he'll empty his pockets for you." - President Lyndon B. Johnson

Euro HBs came here with colonists and continue to extract pollen and nectar from native pollinators. Canadian bees don't make honey. The HB industry is for sure capitalist. Worst analogy ever. Flies are critical pollinators, esp. in Northern Canada. Go to school.

Make Canada Poilievre Free@dofolabels.bsky.social · last yr.

Dead 💀

Euro HBs came here with colonists and continue to extract pollen and nectar from native pollinators. Canadian bees don't make honey. The HB industry is for sure capitalist. Worst analogy ever. Flies are critical pollinators, esp. in Northern Canada. Go to school.

Make Canada Poilievre Free@dofolabels.bsky.social · last yr.

Dead 💀

This guy needs a biology lesson but yes wild bees pollinate. Euro HBs make honey & pollinate at a smaller scale than wild bees would if we took care of ag-lands. Flies (depending on which) have their own benefits whether its pollinating, esp in the north, parasitism (keeping populations in check).

Sharon 🪳🌹@sharonk.bsky.social · last yr.

Pierre Pollinate

Congratulations to @savewildbees.bsky.social, a recipient of the NSERC Awards for Science Promotion. I’ve learned so much about pollinator conservation and ecology from Dr. Colla over the years @csee-scee.bsky.social 🧪🌎 #WomenInSTEM www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/Prizes-Prix/...

Meghan Markle's new @netflix show sure isn't going to help with this.

Sheila Colla, Ph.D@savewildbees.bsky.social · last yr.

Happy #WorldWildlifeDay. A friendly reminder that livestock cannot replace native biodiversity, despite what you may have heard.

Alt text to describe the image: Two children and an adult in a swimming pool. Above a child struggling to swim is the text “Native pollinators.” The adult has her back to him. The adult (“General public”) is instead focused on a happy, safe child who is identified as “Honeybees” for this meme.

Sheila Colla, Ph.D@savewildbees.bsky.social · last yr.

Happy #WorldWildlifeDay. A friendly reminder that livestock cannot replace native biodiversity, despite what you may have heard.

Happy #WorldWildlifeDay. A friendly reminder that livestock cannot replace native biodiversity, despite what you may have heard.

I can't @dhlovelife.bsky.social believe it's been 20 years since Kill Bill but it was nice to see you on the #oscars and your shout out to 🇺🇦. I appreciate how you use you platform whenever you can.

A significant victory in the legal effort to reform grass and weeds bylaws. Wolf Ruck of Mississauga was in the Ontario Court of Appeal yesterday, arguing that Mississauga’s enforcement against his naturalized garden were unjustified under Administrative law. 1/3 #BylawsForBiodiversity

#BeachesEastYork, today is the last day to advance vote. I went last night, and it took just a few minutes. We are so lucky to have an amazing candidate in @DrKateTO to vote for. So beat the Eday rush and vote for Kate today!

💔 February 14 is National Missing and Murdered Relatives Remembrance Day We honor and remember our stolen sisters, girls, two-spirit, and relatives who have been taken by the #MMIR crisis.

www.thestar.com/opinion/cont...

In the fight against Trump, Canada needs First Nations people

In a moment marked by a surprising unity, some elements in Canada are threatening to try and push aside Indigenous interests.

thestar.com

There are lots of issues debated in the political sphere that have a wide range of debatable facets and defensible positions. But we have to acknowledge that some issues are binary. Like racism. And oppression. There isn’t reasonable common ground somewhere in the middle of these issues.