Restoring the Sciences: Science Under Attack

A lecture for the National Association of Scholars on Dec 8, 2023

On Dec 8, 2023, I presented an online seminar to for the National Association of Scholars on the subject of Science Under Attack. In this webinar, I updated a set of examples underscoring the serious problems associated with free speech and open inquiry in science due to the incursion of ideology impacting on the infrastructure, governance, and the process of science itself as carried out in universities and scientific institutions.

I decided to entitle the discussion “The Podmodern Ideological Corruption of Science”, and introduced the modern situation by framing it historically, comparing current scientific publications and presentations to the postmodern corruption of many humanities and social science disciplines in the 1980s and 1990’s that Alan Sokal exposed in his then-famous 1996 spoof paper submitted to and accepted by the journal Social Text. Many of my examples come from recent developments over the past few months, indicating that the stifling impact of a social justice agenda inappropriately governing much of academic activity has yet to abate.

Near the beginning I quoted former Harvard University President Lawrence Summers. “Universities need to abandon the concept that they have a central role in moral education”. I admit that I would not have appreciated the true importance of this idea even five years ago. I think that universities, by fostering free inquiry and unfettered discussion can produce citizens who can help guide society in better directions, but that is very different than imposing any one group’s version of what morality is, or should be.

Here is a link to the youtube video of the event, which was also streamed live on the internet. Trigger warning. It is depressing to watch.