I'm not going to pretend I know the answer. This is all just what I think happened/how I see it.
People have always been power hungry. All institutions are corrupted and decay as they become more powerful.
With the advances of technology and impact that science has had on society this was an inevitability. When you have a position that is seen as authoritative it will attract those who want power.
When we got to the point that climate change was a huge concern and scientists were being called on to make policy decisions, there could be no doubt that science would become political. How many people do you think are scientists right now because they were inspired specifically by climate change and desired to make a difference on that front?
Those people always existed. The "follow my religion or we kill you" or "follow my religion or you burn in hell" are now "follow communism, accept marxism and feminism and the fact that you're racist" etc.
I think people have always been like this. The internet makes it easier to do and easier to see.
Additionally, think about what it takes to make a power grab nowadays. Find something "problematic" that somebody has said or done (pro tip everything is problematic, it's up to you to point out how) and clutch your pearls about what a bigot they are. The bar for entry is so low that it's kind of silly not to.
I'm not going to pretend I know the answer. This is all just what I think happened/how I see it.
People have always been power hungry. All institutions are corrupted and decay as they become more powerful.
With the advances of technology and impact that science has had on society this was an inevitability. When you have a position that is seen as authoritative it will attract those who want power.
When we got to the point that climate change was a huge concern and scientists were being called on to make policy decisions, there could be no doubt that science would become political. How many people do you think are scientists right now because they were inspired specifically by climate change and desired to make a difference on that front?
Those people always existed. The "follow my religion or we kill you" or "follow my religion or you burn in hell" are now "follow communism, accept marxism and feminism and the fact that you're racist" etc.
I'm no historian, so this is just my guess.
I think people have always been like this. The internet makes it easier to do and easier to see.
Additionally, think about what it takes to make a power grab nowadays. Find something "problematic" that somebody has said or done (pro tip everything is problematic, it's up to you to point out how) and clutch your pearls about what a bigot they are. The bar for entry is so low that it's kind of silly not to.