Is There Such a Thing as Science-Related Populism? An Essay on Anti-Science Sentiments and Ideologies

Abstract

A certain anti-science sentiment seems to coincide with the rise of certain (seemingly) populist forces. An apparent affinity between anti-science attitudes (or ideologies) and populism has not escaped social scientists' attention. To get at the core of the problem, Niels Mede and Mike Schäfer (2020) have recently proposed the concept of science-related populism (SRP). The present short essay seeks to add nuance to the idea that there is such a thing as science-related or anti-science populism. It argues that there are indeed certain forms of populist opposition to science, but that we should not overstretch the concept to include things that are neither really populist (or not populist in the same way) nor related to science in the same way. And we should not overly narrow it down and thus exclude a lot of criticism of science currently associated with populism.