Friday, June 05, 2009

Fudging Scientific Data?!

All you have to do is read some of the articles I've written filed under Science in my blog and you will see that I want science to follow the evidence where ever it leads. Isn't science defined as the search for truth?

Interestingly I just read an article that states One in seven scientists say colleagues fake data.

It comes as no surprise to me. I wrote an article called Go Where The Science Leads? Not In Science!, because I know that most scientists, at least the ones who are trying to get published, or get ahead, must be the one to make the next big discovery. So what they do is predetermine exactly what the next big discovery needs to be and then set out to prove it. If the data doesn't fit, who cares, make it fit. Why? Because these people are not interested in Truth, they are only interested in themselves. They long for notoriety, awards and accolades. This is true both at the individual level and at the institutional level. The more notoriety, the more money. Higher salaries, book deals, speaking tours. Universities that hire these people as professors can charge higher tuition, and on and on it goes.

And if someone comes along and challenges the system, forget it. You are black-listed. You will never get published, never be hired to speak, and you'll languish in a low level lab job while earning the condemnation of your peers. Academia is full of some of the most egotistical people I've ever met.

Read through some of the articles I've written which are filed in the Science category and see for yourself.

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