Persecution of scientists

[bascule]

http://www.nature.com/news/2006/061023/full/061023-10.html

 

Does rule by non-scientific thinkers lead to the persecution of scientists on the basis of specious reasoning?

[Pangloss]

I think I see your point. The article basically suggests that the guy was sent to jail because the government was too stupid to realize that the information he sent was already available in the public domain. (It talks about some other kinds of cases as well -- it's an interesting piece.)

 

Unfortunately it doesn't give us the other side of the argument (if there is one), and I can think of a number of things that could have been at issue that I would wonder about if I were to analyze the case in detail. It's even conceivable that a crime could have taken place even if the information was available in the public domain. For example, did the recipient benefit from the credibility lended to that information by the offending scientist? Was there something about the finding of that information that aided the recipient in a manner that was illegal?

 

But those concerns aside, I think the real point of the piece is that scientists are under siege in a number of different ways, ostensibly for reasons that would not exist if the justice systems in question were better educated and more knowledgable, and perhaps the laws themselves need updating as well. This seems like a very real concern to me.

 

I don't think anybody wants the pendulum to swing completely the other direction either. Nobody wants science to be completely unchecked by ethical behavior, and it makes sense to have "civilian" oversight of funding and focus. But only if that oversight understands what the science is about, what it's trying to accomplish and what its limitations are. Failure to understand that seems to produce more harm than good.

 

Thanks for the link.

[YT2095]

But those concerns aside, I think the real point of the piece is that scientists are under siege in a number of different ways, ostensibly for reasons that would not exist if the justice systems in question were better educated and more knowledgable, and perhaps the laws themselves need updating as well. This seems like a very real concern to me.

 

You`re exactly Right there, on Both counts!

Probably more than you know/realise!

[padren]

But those concerns aside, I think the real point of the piece is that scientists are under siege in a number of different ways, ostensibly for reasons that would not exist if the justice systems in question were better educated and more knowledgable, and perhaps the laws themselves need updating as well. This seems like a very real concern to me.

 

Its a little more than that - educated and knowledgeable or not, groups ranging from corrupt governments to groups with special interests are threatening, imprisoning, and killing scientists for coming up with findings they don't want to be established or doing work they don't want to be done.

 

Its scary to think that the research you do could pan out in such a way that it results in your life being threatened.

[swansont]

I think that more than scientists are being persecuted; it's not like they are being singled out and everyone else is living happily ever after.

[mike90]

I think that more than scientists are being persecuted; it's not like they are being singled out and everyone else is living happily ever after.

 

I agree. These incidents all seem to have happened in areas controlled by brutal regimes without respect for basic human rights. So in essence the real problem is that there are still so many places on earth where the government gets away with treating everyone like that, not just scientists. Although its certainly a good idea for doctors and scientists to not travel to those areas.