There’s a big difference between describing how things are and prescribing how they should be. The former tries to get things right. The latter tries to set things right. Science describes how things are. Law, politics, morality, and religion prescribe how things should be. Unfortunately, many scientists believe that ordinary people (meaning nonscientists) can’t handle the truth about race. See here. Here’s what they’re saying to each other (in effect):

We need to be very careful how we present our research, because the idiots out there will surely misinterpret it and put it to bad uses. Conservatives in particular are just looking for confirmation of their racial prejudices. We must not provide aid and comfort to conservatives! Maybe we shouldn’t even be doing this research, since it could make things worse for black people.

Can you think of anything more condescending? Can you think of anything scientists could do that would undermine their authority to a greater extent? Give us the goddamned truth; we’ll decide what to do with it.

Addendum: Dr John J. Ray, a scientist, weighs in here.