I was briefly amused when I was shown a T-shirt with the legend: "Science is not a Liberal Conspiracy."
Oh, but it is. Let's see if I can connect the dots.
Science is liberal. Real science never asks us to believe something because some authority said so; science insists that we are all free to follow the evidence to the truth, regardless of what anyone would like the truth to be. If someone says "this is so," we are allowed and encouraged to test it, because even the good and the wise can be mistaken. That's what liberality actually is: accepting that others are free. Systems which demand that one accept a position just so, without discussion, are illiberal, no matter what position they demand.
Science is a conspiracy. People who accept science believe that ignorance, dogmatism, and error are the enemy, and that we must work together and coordinate our efforts to defeat them. It's an open conspiracy, but we are all committed to a common purpose.
There: science is a liberal conspiracy. Aren't you glad? I am.
