Science and Politics: Risks of Possible Symbiosis

Science and the research community can be used by various political forces to their advantage. In the proposed article, the author attempts to trace some aspects of the functioning of the relationship between political power and the academic community. The examples show the effects of feedback loops between government structures and scientific organizations and individual researchers. It is noted that the emergence of the phenomenon of unreliable scientific information (misinformation about science) often meets the local, image-building interests of individual scientists and scientific communities. In modern Russia, this situation is further aggravated by the low level of mutual trust between science and society, science and political forces, as well as within the research community itself. Apparently, this is due to the adaptation of science to the labor market, when the ideals of the professional autonomy of science are weakening. At the same time, thanks to the phenomenon of misinformation, an anti-scientific position can become an official ideological and political platform, even despite the high level of government support for scientific research. And in this sense, we can talk about the scientific ideology and the special individual responsibility of each scientist. It is clear that this is an ideal model, which is unlikely to be fully implemented. That is why it is concluded that it is important that the scientific community remains independent and adheres to scientific principles and ethics. Scientific research should be conducted in accordance with academic standards, and expert conclusions should be based on facts and evidence, not on political motives. Scientists should strive for honest and objective research which will help prevent manipulation and the use of science for political purposes.

scientific misinformation, scientific policy, scientific expertise, image of science, public opinion, academy of sciences, manipulation of scientific data