"Truth isn't truth."
When former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani uttered these infamous words in 2018, it was easy to laugh. But beneath the absurdity lies a deeper question that philosophers, scientists, and political theorists have grappled with for centuries: Is truth an objective reality, or is it shaped—perhaps even created—by power?
Today, we explore this idea through the lens of science—where we’re taught to believe that truth is objective, neutral, and self-evident. But history tells a murkier, more political tale.
Science as a Stage for Power
We often regard science as the ultimate truth-discovery mechanism—an unbiased enterprise built on evidence, experiment, and peer review. But look closely, and you'll find that the “truths” science reveals often emerge not just from data, but from who gets to speak, what gets funded, and whose questions matter.
1. Galileo vs. the Church: The Politics of the Solar System
In the 17th century, Galileo Galilei peered through a telescope and found strong evidence that Earth revolved around the sun. But this heliocentric model contradicted the Catholic Church’s geocentric worldview—a view deeply entwined with its theological and political authority.
Galileo was tried for heresy and forced to recant his findings. At that moment, it didn’t matter what the stars showed. The truth, as society understood it, was dictated by religious power. For decades after, the heliocentric model remained suppressed—not because it was untrue, but because it was unauthorized.
2. The Rise and Fall of Eugenics: Scientific Racism as State Policy
In the early 20th century, the pseudoscience of eugenics flourished in the US and Europe. With state support, scientists claimed that intelligence, criminality, and poverty were inherited—and worse, that these traits were disproportionately found in certain racial and ethnic groups.
This "scientific truth" justified forced sterilizations, immigration restrictions, and genocidal policies. Only after World War II, when the horrors of Nazi ideology were exposed, did eugenics fall out of favor. The science hadn’t suddenly changed—the power structures had.
3. The Tobacco Industry’s Manufactured Doubt
In the 1950s, independent researchers began linking cigarette smoking to lung cancer. The tobacco industry responded not by disproving the evidence, but by funding research designed to confuse the truth. For decades, they shaped public perception and policy by asserting “more research is needed,” despite overwhelming evidence of harm.
Here, truth was not determined by what was known, but by who could fund the loudest voices. Science was used as a smokescreen—literally.
Foucault Was Right: Power Produces Truth
French philosopher Michel Foucault argued that truth is not some objective reality “out there,” waiting to be discovered. Instead, truth is produced by systems of power. The university, the lab, the court, the church—these are institutions that don’t just discover truths, they declare them.
Scientific paradigms, Foucault wrote, are supported by networks of authority. What counts as “evidence,” what is “worth knowing,” and who gets to be a “knower”—all are dictated by systems of power.
Modern Science Still Isn't Immune
Even today, research agendas are shaped by funding bodies—many with ties to governments or private corporations. Climate science was ignored for decades because fossil fuel interests held the reins. Women’s health issues have been historically under-researched because patriarchal structures decided what mattered.
COVID-19 vaccines were developed at record speed—but which diseases still lack funding because they affect the global poor? What scientific truths remain hidden, not because they’re unknowable, but because they’re unprofitable?
So, Is All Truth Relative?
Not quite. The argument isn’t that there is no truth—bodies still fall under gravity, and pathogens still cause disease. But which truths get discovered, which get amplified, and which get buried—that’s often a function of power.
What Can We Do About It?
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Diversify who does science: Broader representation means broader questions and better scrutiny.
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Decentralize funding: More equitable funding structures reduce monopolies on “acceptable” knowledge.
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Stay skeptical of dominant narratives: Especially when they serve entrenched interests.
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Reclaim science as a public good: Not a corporate asset or national weapon.
In conclusion, if we want science to be a vessel of truth, we must also recognize how truth is forged in the fires of power. Only then can we begin to build systems that serve reality—not the rulers.
Because sometimes, the Earth does move—even if the Church says otherwise.
Author's Note: This post is not an indictment of science, but a call to understand its social scaffolding. Only when we confront the politics behind our truths can we make them truly our own.
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