Since I’m not familiar with City Journal I decided to see who runs it because that headline seemed pretty biased.

From the site’s footer:

> City Journal is a publication of the Manhattan Institute for Policy Research (MI), a leading free-market think tank.

Wikipedia on City Journal:

> The magazine is published by the conservative Manhattan Institute for Policy Research[1][11] a national free-market think tank based in New York City.

And the truth comes out.

Every single one of these articles will age extremely poorly.

Yeah, but there are left leaning think tanks pushing agendas too. Everything we read is slanted. Trust no one.

Another thing to go on my block list. Thanks.

This article itself is unscientific.

> He cited evidence that “most sexually abused children do not grow up to abuse their own children” and that “most abusive parents were not abused as children.”

Most people who don't wear seatbelts and most people who drink and drive don't die in car accidents. The point is that these behaviors make the latter more likely. Maybe the person they interviewed had an interesting point, but it was garbled by this rag.

No. The headline is truthful. I subscribed to SA for 50+ years, saving old copies. About 15 years ago I got sick of the bias and threw out all the old issues. It ceased being science, instead it had become propaganda.

I can confirm this is 100% correct. Anyone who doubts it just needs to compare quality of old editions of SciAm from before 2000 and those after 2000. The decline in quality is stark.

> About 15 years ago I got sick of the bias and threw out all the old issues.

Was that when Shermer, the person interviewed in this article, a former global warming skeptic, decided that the evidence supports it in 2006?

Let’s take the claim at face value. Assume the journalism is indeed propaganda.

Is it really wrong to lie for the benefit of society? At what point do we become a totalitarian state versus simply utilitarian?

As an individual, I certainly would not like to be lied to. However, as an imperfect human, there might be a certain level of propaganda I’d tolerate given it’s beneficial to myself. I don’t think there’s an easy answer.

Not commenting on the reliability of this source since trust will likely be split along party lines and I’m not even American

> Is it really wrong to lie for the benefit of society?

In ideal world or in real life? I don't believe anyone who speaks from society's point of view.

Reading through this reminded me of Always sunny's "Science is a liar... sometimes"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zgk8UdV7GQ0

I don't think SA had ever endorsed a political candidate before 2020.

There has been a change in tone over the past few years.