Baylen Linnekin: Debating Food Policy Requires Agreeing on Some Norms

When
it comes to food policy, many advocates write pointedly and
passionately on topics they care about. And they reach vastly
different conclusions. A problem? No way. It’s the bedrock of
discourse. But undergirding discourse is the need for opposing
parties to agree to some norms. In the scientific setting, that
includes reference to peer-reviewed science. In the legal realm,
that includes referencing legal scholars and experts. Whether in
science or in law, it also includes acknowledging those who think
differently and (if need be) explaining why you’ve reached the
conclusions you have.

Don’t like those norms? That’s fine. Everyone is and should be
free to play by different rules. It’s just that, writes Baylen
Linnekin, their opinions should matter less. As the saying goes,
everyone’s entitled to their own opinions, but not to their own
facts.

View this article.