On the value of publicly funded Science in Argentina

Resumo

Economic crises have triggered a surge in liberal discourses in the region, with a notable emergence of an anachronistic far-right movement espousing anti-rights, denialist, and neoliberal ideologies. Notably, Brazil's experience stands out, where Bolsonarism made significant inroads against the country's scientific sector through budget cuts, hostility towards researchers, and anti-science rhetoric, resulting in a dramatic impact on the nation's scientific and technological landscape. Under the leadership of Jair Bolsonaro, this agenda of rejecting scientific knowledge had a grim impact during the pandemic. Currently, Javier Milei, a presidential candidate on the upcoming Argentinian ballotage, regards Bolsonaro as a reference, sharing the ideological baggage of the Brazilian denialist. This trend is not immune to the global rise of disinformation campaigns aimed at discrediting scientific consensus and evidence-based policies. In line with scenarios in other parts of the world, Argentina has witnessed significant growth in anti-science movements in recent years, driven by a strong reliance on social media. These movements deny and discredit scientific consensus, clinical trials, and academic articles. We have observed direct attacks on prestigious institutions within our science and technology system, such as the National Scientific and Technical Research Council (CONICET), based on the distortion of research findings, particularly in the social sciences, or through the dissemination of fake news on social media. In some cases, these attacks occurred within the context of budget cuts to the R&D system. Here I address a threat to the future of Argentinian science in the context of the forthcoming presidential elections, highlighting the importance of publicly funded science.