The War on Science is Global – Argentina’s Example

Authoritarians hate Science, because Science shows that physics and biology don’t bow to tin-pot Dictators.

El Pais:

After his victory in Argentina’s primary elections on August 13, far-right candidate Javier Milei made the rounds on television to build momentum for the October 22 general elections. In several recent interviews, Milei took aim at the scientific community and said if elected, he would eliminate the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation, and privatize the National Scientific and Technical Research Council (CONICET), the government agency that directs most of the scientific and technical research done in universities and institutes. Argentina’s scientific community quickly struck back and called Milei’s proposal “ridiculous” and “ignorant.”

“It [scientific research] should be done by the private sector. They [scientists] can earn a living by serving others,” Milei said in one TV interview. He then presented an organization chart of the government and began crossing out the ministries he intends to eliminate — Health, Education, Social Development and Science. “What do they do anyway?” he asked rhetorically. Later on, Milei sharpened his attack. “CONICET has 35,000 people, while NASA[the U.S. space agency] has only 17,000. To me, it feels like it doesn’t quite match up with what NASA does… As it is right now, we have to shut it down.”

In response, the scientific community stepped up to defend CONICET, an independent agency under the Ministry of Science, which has 11,800 researchers, 11,800 fellows, 2,900 technicians, and 1,500 administrative staff. They roundly criticized Milei’s position, and called it a “provocation,” quoting Bernardo Houssay, Argentina’s first Nobel laureate and CONICET’s first president in 1958: “Science is not expensive — ignorance is expensive.” A protest march is scheduled for August 18.

In the 21st century, it is absurd not to support science and technology, according to CONICET director Ana Franchi. “CONICET plays a crucial role in training human resources, not only within organizations and universities but also in companies engaged in significant technological advancements. For instance, we have successfully developed drought-resistant seeds, leading to the listing of Bioceres on the New York Stock Exchange. And the anti-viral facemasks we developed during the pandemic are now being exported and bring in vital foreign exchange,” Franchi said in a recent radio interview.