Scientist Nurse wrong to use language of terror

In an article in the Irish Examiner on September 4, the Nobel laureate, Sir Paul Nurse, said politicians should be “crushed and buried” for cherry-picking science to suit agendas, including in relation to climate change.

Writing in New Scientist magazine on September 14, 2011, Sir Paul, the new president of the British Science Association, said: “One problem is treating scientific discussion as if it were political debate.

“When some politicians try to sway public opinion, they employ the tricks of the debating chamber: … adept use of a sneer or a misplaced comparison, reliance on the power of rhetoric rather than argument.”