Meaning no offense, but, while the situations may be parallel to a point, the potential consequences in this case are on an entirely different order. Unlike in the arts, in the sciences there are people in the scientific community who have the authority, if you will, to say what kind of science should be funded. I would never expect a bureaucrat to have the same opinions as me as to what kind of art would be worth funding, anyway. Also, many of the people in the arts community who would have the clout to make those decisions would have dramatically different views than me about what was important. Ultimately, the parallel breaks down because art is essentially a matter of taste, wheras science actually allows us to make real predictions about the world around us, which we are in dire need of if we are to avoid screwing ourselves over with the very power that science has given us. (I actually was a professional musician for a few years, a long time ago, so believe me when I say I am not trying to disparage the importance of the arts, or of the people who pursue them as a profession, but when you get people denying basic science, that’s an entirely different level of fucked up.)
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