In 1863 at the height of the Civil War Abraham Lincoln was
approached by a weather forecaster named Francis Capen who said
that he could predict the weather days in advance (imagine!).
Such predictions, Capen argued, might help prosecute the war. In
a note, Lincoln shared his opinion of Mr. Capen: It seems to me
that Mr. Capen knows nothing about the weather, in advance. He
told me three days ago that it would not rain again till the
30th of April or 1st of May. It is raining now [April 28th] and
has been for ten hours. I cannot spare any more time to Mr.
Capen. (Whitnah 1961, pp. 114-15, as cited in this chapter,
PDF).The complex relationship of science and politics has a long
history in both Europe and North America. My talk will highlight
some of the important tensions that arise when a desire for
authority meets demands for legitimacy.