Science and advocacy

From Rob McDonald at Cool Green Science:

It is not the job of scientists to produce papers that reinforce a preconceived advocacy position. Rather, it is the job of scientists to lay the facts on the table, so those facts can inform advocacy. (emphasis in the original)

If that sounds familiar, it may be because I wrote this about a month ago:

[T]here's one thing we all must do: be true to the science. We have to be honest about what the data say, even if the data tell us things about the policy we'd prefer to adopt that we'd rather not hear.

Go read all of Rob McDonald's post. It's well worth your time.