Is the Debate Against Science Good for Science?

The saying “all news is good news” seems to not only apply to products advertisement, but also to scientific advancement. At the end of last year, for example, many universities reported an increase in the number of applicants for their medical study programs, a factor they referred to as the “Fauci Effect.” This came as a surprise for many reasons. First, through much of 2020, Doctor Fauci was perceived by many as a polarizing figure. He was decried by the partisans of President Trump who accused him of “hyping” the deadliness of the virus to make the President look bad. Second, it was a year that saw an acute challenge to the very core of scientific knowledge itself, namely fact. The concepts of “alternative-facts” or “post-fact-world “were trending on most social media platforms, including news outlet. Yes, despite all this, 2020 produced some of the biggest achievements in science history, including the record-breaking inventions of the vaccines that the treat the virus. It is safe to say that none of those successes might have been achieved but for the pressure under which those scientists were operating.