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Comment by optimiz3 | Hacker News Reader

> ban is a political act

What is political about objective science?

Much of the information being banned has been published by credible, knowledgeable doctors and scientists who are working "in the trenches". Epidemiologists who have specialized in this area are being censored because political bodies (such as the WHO) have released contrary information, but the WHO (and others) have contradicted themselves multiple times throughout the SARS-Cov-19 pandemic.

To answer your question directly, it seems to me that objective science becomes political when an unpopular politician cites a scientific publication or opinion. Attacking the messenger then becomes important to those politically opposed, and the original scientific message gets lost in the political controversy.

[citation needed]

Enter this search on Google and see what you get: "Is hydroxychloroquine effective in treating COVID-19?" Why should there be such a controversy about this issue? It only became political when Trump mentioned it.

>Enter this search on Google and see what you get: "Is hydroxychloroquine effective in treating COVID-19?"

what am I supposed to be looking at? is there supposed to be an info box that says "yes" or "no"?

Sorry for not being clear. I am not the best communicator. What you should notice upon entering that search term are the wildly conflicting results. Google will present a "No" answer near the top, but if you scroll down through the thousands of results, you will see some saying "Yes", some saying "No", and some saying "We don't know". Google (and all of the other big social media giants) was quick to post a definitive answer, but is it the correct answer? The volume of uncertainty would seem to indicate that it is not.

Pointing to search engine results being varied for a specific query is not a citation.

You shouldn't make any conclusions based on skimming search results though. Ask critical questions like:

- Who is answering the question?

- Who paid for that answer?

- What platform is it posted on, and where lie their loyalties?

The problem with search results for questions like that is that you end up on a ton of trash media sites, none of which are neutral; they are all paid for, operated by or supported by parties with political goals and ambitions.

I did this a few days ago. You need to limit the date range to before he mentioned it to find anything suggesting positive results. I did find a recent story mentioning possible positive outcomes buried near the bottom of one story.

This line of argument is confusing and probably not worth my time. What is this google search supposed to tell me?

Did Trump get treated with hydroxychloroquine?

Answer: No

Anyone believing the BS that this is an efficient drug is delusional

https://rationalwiki.org/wiki/Do_your_own_research; do not tell people to do their own research. When you present an argument, you are responsible for providing the sources to back up said argument.

Ahhhh the good ol' Google... The source of absolute truth...

By the way, if you make the claim, the burden of proof is on you.

He didn't say objective science is political, but banning is. Science promotes the free exchange of ideas with the hope that the truth will be established and falsehood will be disproved.

objective science, got any examples?

They have all been censored in favor of today's consensus opinion.

Consensus is a political concept, not a scientific one.

Exactly! QED

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