Read about all the problems with reason in our special issue
STRATEGIC use of science, or the appearance of science, is a well-used part of the armoury of the public relations industry. It is effective – it delayed action on tobacco for decades – and it poisons the public perception of actual science. The public relations and lobbying industries were themselves founded on attempts to pervert rationality and science in the service of vested interests. The very earliest PR practitioners, such as Sigmund Freud’s nephew Edward Bernays, were adept at this. Bernays famously put psychology to use in promoting cigarettes…
