Sound science

{{DenialismSide}}{{politics}}
{{hatnote|Not to be confused with [[Soundness|sound logic]] or the [[Physics|science of soundwaves]].}}
{{cquote|...it seemed that by "sound science" the administration meant science that gave the "right" predetermined answer.|||[[James Hansen]]<ref>''Storms of My Grandchildren'', p. 94 [http://books.google.com/books?id=mwva_7dPyAcC&printsec=frontcover&dq=james+hansen&hl=en&ei=l4N6TubWH8H00gH1jMGvAg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CDEQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=sound%20science&f=false]</ref>}} 
'''Sound science''' has two meanings. When used by [[scientist]]s, it means robustly supported science, confirmed by multiple [[peer-review]]ed studies. When used in [[politics]] (generally by [[wingnut]]s), it means [[Policy-based evidence making|''ideologically'']] sound science, i.e. a [[euphemism]] for industry-funded [[pseudoscientific]] [[bullshit]]. 

It is difficult to pin down the exact political meaning because it is a [[weasel word|weasel phrase]]. It seems to be most often used to mean "some bogus 'research' we just [[PIDOOMA|cooked up]] in a [[think tank]]". Alternatively, it can also be a play on the [[uncertainty tactic]] by demanding [[release the data|100% definitive, irrefutable proof]] of something before it is deemed an "acceptable" scientific foundation for policy. If, for example, [[government]] agencies issue inconvenient warnings about [[global warming]] or environmental degradation, politicians may dismiss them as "[[junk science]]" because they allegedly "[[Bullshit|ignore a great deal of uncertainty on this issue]]," and demand "sound science" in their place, as happened under the [[George W. Bush]] administration over such controversial topics as the link between junk food and [[obesity]]; [[mercury]] in power station smokestacks and mercury [[pollution]] of water sources; the [[manufactroversy|debate]] over anthropogenic climate change; possible links between [[second-hand smoke|smoke inhalation]] and [[cancer]] and the like. Such demands for exact certainty are not in line with mainstream scientific practice and downplay the fact that a [[scientific consensus|substantial consensus]] may already exist. 

An opposite phrase that almost always appears alongside "sound science" is "junk science", which roughly translates not to pseudoscience, but established science that goes against a rigid ideology or might cut into the funder's [[Money|profits]]. The term is most commonly used by [[anti-environmentalism|anti-environmental]] [[astroturf]] campaigns and, sometimes, [[creationist]]s. In any case, the "sound/junk science" dichotomy is usually a sign that blatant pseudoscience is involved.

==Astroturf and Republican usage==
{{main|1=Astroturf|3=Republican Party}}
It is unknown exactly where the term originated from, but its earliest usage seems to come from an astroturf campaign initiated by [[tobacco]] companies to [[denialism|deny]] the risks of second-hand smoke in the early 1990s. In 1994, Philip Morris and a [[PR]] firm created "[[TASSC|The Advancement of Sound Science Coalition (TASSC)]]," headed up by [[experts for hire|industry-backed]] [[shyster]]s [[Steve Milloy|Steve "the Junkman" Milloy]] and [[Michael Fumento]]. TASSC's site hosted Milloy's "Junk Science" page until it went defunct in the late 1990s (though the site lives on to this day, unfortunately), which spread copious amounts of denialism, including second-hand smoke denial, [[DDT]] denial, and global warming denial.

Various Republican officials have invoked the "sound/junk science" phraseology. Representatives Chris Cannon (R-[[Utah|UT]]) and Jim Gibbons (R-[[Nevada|NV]]) formed a "Sound Science Caucus" in the early 2000s to oppose [[EPA]] regulations, it became a buzzword for administration officials during the [[Dubya]] years, and [[Frank Luntz]] encouraged lawmakers to use the phrase in his global warming memo.<ref>[http://www.healthybuilding.net/pvc/wash_post_sound_science.html Beware "Sound Science": It's Doublespeak for Trouble] and [http://www.alternet.org/story/18696 The Fraud of "Sound Science] by Chris Mooney</ref>

==Creationism==
{{main|Creationism}}
The term can be found in some creationist/[[Intelligent Design]] literature, though less often than in the cases described above. A few examples include the [[Discovery Institute]]'s invocation of the phrase in response to the leaking of the [[Wedge Document]] and its use on some creationist websites.<ref>[http://www.intelligentdesigntheory.info/creation_vs_evolution.htm This one, for example]</ref>

==Other uses==
Admittedly, not every use of the term is [[code word|interchangeable]] with bullshit. Some scientists defending actual science will occasionally use the term without knowledge of its [[euphemism|euphemistic]] [[doublespeak]] status. The [[Union of Concerned Scientists]] used the term in 1995 with their Sound Science Initiative (SSI), one year after the creation of TASSC. The SSI has since been abandoned, perhaps because of the euphemistic implications.

==See also==
*[[Bourgeois pseudoscience]], for the dirty [[communism|Red]] version
*[[Political correctness]], an alleged motivation for supporting "junk science".
*[[Operational science]]
*[[Soundness|Logical soundness]]

===No relation to===
*[[Sound money]], though tracts using either term generally tend to be full of bullshit.
*{{wpl|Acoustics|Acoustics|,}} the science of sound.

==External links==
*[http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Sound_science Sound science entry] at [[SourceWatch]]
*Charles N. Herrick and Dale Jamieson. [http://as.nyu.edu/docs/IO/1192/JunkScienceEnvironmentalPolicy.pdf Junk Science and Environmental Policy: Obscuring Public Debate with Misleading Discourse.] ''Philosophy and Public Policy Quarterly'', vol. 21, no. 2/3, Spring/Summer 2001.
*[http://www.nature.com/news/beware-of-backroom-deals-in-the-name-of-science-1.15046 Beware of backroom deals in the name of 'science'], ''Nature''

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Denialism]]
[[Category:Environmentalism]]
[[Category:Political terms]]
[[Category:Pseudoscience]]
[[Category:Science]]
[[Category:Neologisms]]
[[Category:Language]]

Categories: Denialism, Environmentalism, Political terms, Pseudoscience, Science, Neologisms, Language