Distillations | Science History Institute Political Science: Out of the Lab and into the Streets
Jun 13, 2017
A look at why thousands took to the streets for science on Earth Day 2017. Short takes on science as a human process versus an abstract ideal. A tour through moments when researchers stepped into politics, from wartime mobilization to antiwar and nuclear activism. Reflections on how political pressures like McCarthyism silenced scientists and how recent movements aim to defend science as a public good.
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Science As A Human Process Is Political
- Science is inherently political because the process of doing science is human and shaped by power, funding, and choices about what to study.
- Roger Erdly-Pryor and Liz Lopatto explain that decisions about funding and research topics embed political relations into scientific practice.
Scientists Marching Out Of The Lab
- Many prominent 20th-century scientists moved into activism, like Einstein and Linus Pauling protesting nuclear weapons.
- Hosts recount historical examples to show scientists have repeatedly left labs for public political action.
1930s Movement Recast Scientists As Socially Responsible
- The Science and Society Movement of the 1930s reframed scientists' roles, urging social responsibility and anti-fascist positions.
- Peter Kuznick traces a shift from industry-aligned science to left-leaning politicization during the Depression era.