"Scientists, experts say, need to help protect democracy, “the system of government in which science, health and humanity are most likely to thrive.”"
"As autocratic regimes around the world increasingly step up attacks on scientists and academic freedom, a team of researchers has published a new anti-autocracy handbook to help scientists protect their personal safety and their work.
In the United States, authoritarian shadows loom over the Independence Day holiday, cast by an administration that is violating the U.S. Constitution, said lead author Stephan Lewandowsky, a cognitive psychologist at the University of Bristol, who researches why people reject well-established scientific facts, such as climate change or the effectiveness of vaccinations.
While the handbook was written with scientists in mind, it also includes useful information for a broader audience, Lewandowsky said, warning that scientists and science are likely not the only targets in autocratic regimes.
“They’ll go after journalists,” he said. “They’ll go after judges. They’re already doing that unless they’re compliant. They’ll go after anything or anyone that can provide accountability or an alternative to this emerging tyranny. This isn’t a joke or a blip and this isn’t normal. This is a concerted, programmatic effort to abolish democracy in the United States.”"
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