Canada's PM Stephen Harper faces revolt by scientists

I've always wondered what would happen if a country actually based its policies and economy solely on science and fact, especially one with the unlimited natural resource wealth of Canada. I'm sad to say I don't think I'll live to see it.

Well they can't base their economic policies on fact, since there they are so few and far between. You know "put two economists in a room and you come out with three opinions."

But environmental policy could certainly use a good dose of scientific input. You're still going to have to balance competing interests tho, and science can only help so far in that regard.

That's because economy isn't really a science... it's voodoo mixed in with a little palm reading and astrology.

I'll go hide now before Lemmy gets here.

You got the palm part right, but they're not using it for reading, IYKWIM.

I know it�s not hard science in the way that we can know 100% how it will react because there are so many variables, but we clearly know the fundamentals that work and don�t. There are so many examples of various economies driven to help society to be drawn on as a foundation. Same goes for the educations system, free media, labour laws, regulations etc.

I guess I�m a dreamer, but I whole heartedly believe it�s possible to run a country truly for the betterment of the people of that country, not an elite, rich, or power class. Start with a base of 1950�s, dabble in a dash of 2010 human rights, modern technology, and start baking.

What fundamentals of economics are we not following? Neo-liberal theory?

Scientific education, what would that look like? During the period you mention, behaviorism held sway - we'd be teaching children in little boxes.

Free media and labor have no scientific backing that I can see.

Countries are always run by the wealthy. After the depression and WWII, people got scared for a while and wanted to try to moderate things. But since the rich got busy to try to reverse that trend right away, just took a while to show up. And unionized labor got fat and comfortable, their leaders wanted to be just like the fat cats they were negotiating with.

I wouldn't put my faith in science to solve this problem, just a slim chance that enough Joe the Plumbers wake up some day. Doubt it tho.