Part of the goal is to persuade them to act more safely, and it’s easier to do this if they are able to explain their perspective. Also, it allows others to evaluate their arguments. We can’t adopt a rule that “people accused of doing something dangerous can’t defend themselves” because sometimes after evaluating the arguments they are in the right—e.g. nuclear power, GMOs.
Thanks that’s a good point. I hope though that they have less sway than independent people arguing in either direction. I would hope in the case of nuclear power and GMOs it would be independent advocates (academics, public, think thanks) arguing for it who convinced is rather than Monsanto and
power plant manufacturers.
Part of the goal is to persuade them to act more safely, and it’s easier to do this if they are able to explain their perspective. Also, it allows others to evaluate their arguments. We can’t adopt a rule that “people accused of doing something dangerous can’t defend themselves” because sometimes after evaluating the arguments they are in the right—e.g. nuclear power, GMOs.
Thanks that’s a good point. I hope though that they have less sway than independent people arguing in either direction. I would hope in the case of nuclear power and GMOs it would be independent advocates (academics, public, think thanks) arguing for it who convinced is rather than Monsanto and power plant manufacturers.
But I don’t know those stories!