Aug 4, 2025 06:55 PM
Science Needs Dissent: NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya on COVID, Autism, and Climate Change
https://reason.com/2025/08/02/science-ne...ate-change
INTRO: My friendship with National Institutes of Health (NIH) Director Jay Bhattacharya began when he was a professor of medicine, economics, and health research policy at Stanford University, and I was a staff writer at Salon.
To understand how this friendship works—between a democratic socialist and a key figure in President Donald Trump's second administration—consider one of Bhattacharya's favorite films, 12 Angry Men. The 1957 courtroom drama (based on an acclaimed 1954 teleplay) celebrates reasoned dissent, open debate, and the power of a single voice challenging consensus, principles Bhattacharya values deeply, especially in science.
It is the respect for such principles that has been the foundation of many friendships I have with individuals whom I disagree with politically, such as libertarian commentator Austin Petersen, conservative writer Joe Silverstein (who I befriended after he skewered me in a Fox News article for comparing President Joe Biden to America's founding fathers) and the late Sen. Joe Lieberman (D–Conn.)
I strongly oppose almost every major aspect of Trump's agenda, but I refuse to abandon my relationships with those who disagree with me in good faith. In part, this is a sentimental choice, as I value my friendship with Bhattacharya, but it is also a rational one. I recognize that I am fallible, and therefore, like all human beings, I need to listen to intelligent people who will tell me when they think I'm wrong.
A scene in 12 Angry Men depicts the protagonist juror (played by Henry Fonda) rebutting a bilious monologue spewed by Ed Begley's bigoted juror character. "It's always difficult to keep personal prejudice out of a thing like this," Fonda's Juror 8 explains. "And wherever you run into it, prejudice always obscures the truth." Bhattacharya and I both believe this applies to all forms of irrational hate.
In July, I spoke with Bhattacharya about whether these ideals can be revived in this country. We also discussed the backlash against him and the other authors of the Great Barrington Declaration (an issue on which I have changed my original opinion), the importance of protecting dissent within institutions, and our disagreements over the current administration's policies regarding autism and climate change... (MORE - details)
https://reason.com/2025/08/02/science-ne...ate-change
INTRO: My friendship with National Institutes of Health (NIH) Director Jay Bhattacharya began when he was a professor of medicine, economics, and health research policy at Stanford University, and I was a staff writer at Salon.
To understand how this friendship works—between a democratic socialist and a key figure in President Donald Trump's second administration—consider one of Bhattacharya's favorite films, 12 Angry Men. The 1957 courtroom drama (based on an acclaimed 1954 teleplay) celebrates reasoned dissent, open debate, and the power of a single voice challenging consensus, principles Bhattacharya values deeply, especially in science.
It is the respect for such principles that has been the foundation of many friendships I have with individuals whom I disagree with politically, such as libertarian commentator Austin Petersen, conservative writer Joe Silverstein (who I befriended after he skewered me in a Fox News article for comparing President Joe Biden to America's founding fathers) and the late Sen. Joe Lieberman (D–Conn.)
I strongly oppose almost every major aspect of Trump's agenda, but I refuse to abandon my relationships with those who disagree with me in good faith. In part, this is a sentimental choice, as I value my friendship with Bhattacharya, but it is also a rational one. I recognize that I am fallible, and therefore, like all human beings, I need to listen to intelligent people who will tell me when they think I'm wrong.
A scene in 12 Angry Men depicts the protagonist juror (played by Henry Fonda) rebutting a bilious monologue spewed by Ed Begley's bigoted juror character. "It's always difficult to keep personal prejudice out of a thing like this," Fonda's Juror 8 explains. "And wherever you run into it, prejudice always obscures the truth." Bhattacharya and I both believe this applies to all forms of irrational hate.
In July, I spoke with Bhattacharya about whether these ideals can be revived in this country. We also discussed the backlash against him and the other authors of the Great Barrington Declaration (an issue on which I have changed my original opinion), the importance of protecting dissent within institutions, and our disagreements over the current administration's policies regarding autism and climate change... (MORE - details)