On Thu, 06 May 2010 08:31:53 -0600, Chris L Peterson
wrote:

On Thu, 6 May 2010 07:01:15 -0700 (PDT), Quadibloc
wrote:

Of course, also, this sort of thing is anti-democratic. If a
scientific priesthood could protect us from being blown up in a
nuclear war started by politicians, it would be a good thing. But
there were _scientists_ among those who had the silly idea that the
world would benefit from Stalin having the atomic bomb too instead of
just the United States. Which pretty much rubbishes the theory that
scientists are more fit to rule than even people like Ronald Reagan
and George W. Bush... when they, unlike the scientists, are at least
kept on a leash by the electorate.

Well, it isn't clear if the world is or is not better off for Stalin
having the bomb. We can't do an experiment and see. The question is
inherently non-scientific, so there is no reason to think that
scientists should make a better (or worse) decision when a question like
it arises.

I do think a case can be made that scientists are more fit to rule than
non-scientists (as a very broad generalization only, of course). That's
because scientists have a rational way of thinking that is clearly
beneficial. The question, of course, comes down to whether they lack
some other equally important skill, such as diplomacy (again, broadly
generalizing). My own view is that rational, clear thinking probably
outweighs other factors, but who's to know for sure?

Technocracy was one of the political theories that cropped up in the
first half of the 20th century, alongside Fascism, Leninism, etc.

It would have been a complete disaster, the epitome of "I know what's
best for you whether you like it or not" government. Everywhere the
Technocrats gained any sort of authority (they were too elitist to win
elections, but sometimes got appointed), they made a mess of it.

It could be argued that the sorry state of social sciences at the time
was much of why the Technocrats were either a joke or a disaster, but
there's also the fact that people who go into science and people who
go into government have very different interests and generally don't
develop the skill set that goes with the other field.

Scientists aren't all as rational as one might like, particularly
outside their own specialties -- ask the Amazing Randi, and he'll tell
you that scientists are the easiest people in the world to fool with
simple tricks. They expect things to be rational, and they expect
people to be honest, and that makes them suckers for a slick liar.
They've never learned not to be fooled.

Understanding how people think and react is far more important in
government than any understanding of the scientific method.





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