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Don't miss the next videos. Subscribe to @contactpodcast It is fashionable to say that science is the last refuge for those who have the requirement of facts at heart. Far from fake news, disinformation and ideological temptation, science would be one of the last bastions of reason in an unreasonable world. Really? Obscurantism in power: when dominant thought hinders knowledge, an essay by independent journalist Brice Perrier, paints a much less idealized portrait of the world of modern science. The author begins his investigation at the Academy of Sciences with his honorary permanent secretary, Catherine Bréchignac, who notes that at the height of the Covid crisis, it was impossible to question the mortality projections produced by ONE single epidemiologist. "There were several of us who found these models false and wondered why she was allowed to speak, ...". The scientific debate, in the name of urgency, was sidestepped. "There was nothing, because we couldn't say anything," Bréchignac believes today. The concept of the "noble lie" has often even imposed itself as a remedy for doubts in so-called scientific communication. Fact-checking, a vaunted bulwark against fake news, became, in the process, the new insurmountable horizon of truth. Silencing the annoying people who ask questions or embody a minority voice in the world of science is not, however, just a failing observed in times of crisis. Brice Perrier's essay highlights a world where politics and the argument of authority too often exceed the imperative of curiosity that should drive those who have the responsibility of advancing knowledge. A dangerous conformism, particularly when we realize that "the verification of drugs has been completely abandoned to the pharmaceutical industry," explains Perrier. Official links: / stephanbureaucontact https://contactmedias.com/ https://linktr.ee/contactlepodcast / contact.lepodcast 00:00 - Intro 01:37 - Obscurantism in power. 06:44 - Is there a "noble lie" in medicine? 09:56 - Big pharma: a conspiracy theory. 11:43 - The petty tyranny of "fact-checkers" 18:18 - Ideological biases and false consensus. 23:37 - "We are no longer in science, we are rather in political correctness". 28:32 - Didier Raoult: an unfair trial? 33:20 - Preconceptions about alternative medicine. 37:16 - Who really measures the effectiveness of our medicines? 43:12 - Is the Shroud of Turin a serious subject? 48:42 - (Contemporary) Controversies on the Theory of Evolution. 54:28 - Near-Death Experiences. 01:03:25 - The Future of Journalism in Traditional Media.