A systematic corruption of the scientific process where organized interest groups—corporate, political, or ideological—fund, produce, and disseminate research specifically engineered to influence policy and public opinion in their favor. Unlike genuine scientific inquiry, which follows questions wherever they lead, Lobbying Science starts with a predetermined conclusion and reverse-engineers the "evidence" to support it. It maintains the aesthetic of peer-reviewed legitimacy while functioning as a public relations arm. This includes funding friendly academics, ghostwriting papers, suppressing unfavorable results, and creating front organizations with neutral-sounding names to launder biased conclusions.
Example: A fossil fuel conglomerate funds a "Global Climate Research Institute" that publishes studies emphasizing natural climate variability and downplaying anthropogenic causes. Their scientists sit on IPCC panels, their papers appear in reputable journals, and their findings are cited by sympathetic politicians. This isn't science serving truth; it's Lobbying Science—the research arm of a political war, dressed in a lab coat and holding a clipboard.
by Dumu The Void February 11, 2026
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