A Paper That Says Science Should Be Impartial Was Rejected by Major Journals. You Can’t Make This Up.

NYT OPINION: A Paper That Says Science Should Be Impartial Was Rejected by Major Journals. You Can’t Make This Up.
By Pamela Paul
Section: Opinion
Source: New York Times
Published Date: May 4, 2023 at 03:00AM

Research ought to be independent, not ideological.

Is a gay Republican Latino more capable of conducting a physics experiment than a white progressive heterosexual woman? Would they come to different conclusions based on the same data because of their different backgrounds? For most people, the suggestion isn’t just ludicrous; it’s offensive. Yet this belief — that science is somehow subjective and should be practiced and judged accordingly — has recently taken hold in academic, governmental and medical settings. A paper published last week, “In Defense of Merit in Science,” documents the disquieting ways in which research is increasingly informed by a politicized agenda, one that often characterizes science as fundamentally racist and in need of “decolonizing.” The authors argue that science should instead be independent, evidence-based and focused on advancing knowledge.

Read more at: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/04/opinion/science-evidence-merits.html