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Q. But do you think this is a form of McCarthyism?
A. That depends on what you mean by McCarthyism. Is there a disregard for reality and facts? Is there a call to accuse people, to pit people against each other? Yes, there’s polarization. And polarization is really dangerous. But I think the important thing is that, centuries ago, we had a fight over facts and science. And now, we have a new fight in which we must restore credit to science.
We’re in a difficult situation, fighting against red herrings, against straw men… I had a colleague in the United States Senate named Daniel Patrick Moynihan. He was a great senator from New York and he said that everyone has a right to their own opinion, but not their own facts.
Q. And how can the world recover from these damaging U.S. actions toward research?
A. We will recover if people understand their own empowerment. France, Germany, [Europe overall] and more countries have the capacity to conduct science and increase investment. And that’s going to have to happen. It’s not unlike the debate over European defense needs in the context of Ukraine; [the EU has] decided to spend more.
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