Theoretical Physics is one of those grand social endeavors to discover the universal truth of nature. Michio Kaku is one of many theoretical physicists who side line as futurists and front men for theoretical science funding. Since the dawn of science, scientists have had to suck up to power and with the rise of democracy and a free press, that means they have to suck up to the people. This isn't a good or bad thing, just the way things have evolved.
There is a lot of competition when you go straight to the people which have pretty diverse levels of education and intellect. Since most people dislike being called, common, uneducated, uninformed or "anti-science", claiming to be scientifically valid works great for raising funds from the common, uneducated and scientifically uniformed masses. Sex up your presentation with futuristic things that will happen long after you are dead and you are on your way to be a great fund raiser.
As Stephen Schneider stated, On the one hand, as scientists we are ethically bound to the
scientific method, in effect promising to tell the truth, the whole
truth, and nothing but — which means that we must include all the
doubts, the caveats, the ifs, ands, and buts. On the other hand, we are
not just scientists but human beings as well. And like most people we’d
like to see the world a better place, which in this context translates
into our working to reduce the risk of potentially disastrous climatic
change. To do that we need to get some broad based support, to capture
the public’s imagination. That, of course, entails getting loads of
media coverage. So we have to offer up scary scenarios, make simplified,
dramatic statements, and make little mention of any doubts we might
have. This ‘double ethical bind’ we frequently find ourselves in cannot
be solved by any formula. Each of us has to decide what the right
balance is between being effective and being honest. I hope that means
being both. Since the science isn't being sold to the monarch, dictator or grand poobah, but to the masses, science is politicized.
Scientists need to recognize the degree they have become political prostitutes and become more informed on their social, including political science, responsibilities. All of those billions of masses they are sucking up to, need day jobs so they have money to be bilked out of. If you kill the economy you, kill your funding, and there is a chance that a few of the less ignorant masses might catch on and terminate science or scientists with extreme prejudice.
Now Michio, co-founder of String Theory, likely the deadest of dead ends in theoretical physics, is of course an expert on everything sciency on the television. He always uses the worst of worse cases to keep the masses in awe of the awesomeness of science. Recently he mentioned that extreme weather in the future will be 500% worse that ever recorded in human history. He didn't bother mentioning that thanks to inflation, nearly everything is 500% worse, as in more expensive, than it was previously. Neither did he mention that advances in technology can combat inflation, much like "climate scientists" avoid mentioning that advances in existing technology can combat Carbon Pollution, by more efficiently using "Carbon Pollutants."
To qualify as a real polymath today you need economics, psychology and marketing with a bit of religious training on prophesy and end of days scenarios. You are selling to an extremely diverse audience, some with fundamentalist tendencies. The old ban religion to simplify science sales ploy has lost its steam.
