Science, Freedom, Public Spaces and Specialized Bureaucracies: Where is the Truth?

Science presupposes the acceptance of discussion and controversy. There is no official truth in science; The search for any conceivable truth is only possible in a context of freedom. Official truths led Giordano Bruno to the stake and Galileo to a false retraction (“eppur si muove’); nevertheless official truths continue to thrive, like undesirable weeds, in the most unsuspected cultivars. The need for freedom and controversy excludes one of the most obvious situations that resides in the monolithic incorporation of assumed scientific theories and practices by public and private entities, that try to justify, in the name of science, power abuse or perpetuity, profit earning activities and unethical conduct, as relevant aspects of their scientifi