Ep. 171 Nature Human Misbehavior

“Should academic journals appoint themselves social justice gatekeepers?”

That is the question journalist and author Jonathan Rauch asks in responding to new ethics guidance from the academic journal Nature Human Behaviour. The journal introduces the guidance by ominously noting that “although academic freedom is fundamental, it is not unbounded.” It then goes on to discuss ways it will restrict publishing research that allegedly harms, stigmatizes, or otherwise “undermines the dignity or rights of specific groups” — even inadvertently.

Rauch joins the show, along with University of Southern California professor Anna Krylov.

Show notes:

• Transcript
• “Science must respect the dignity and rights of all humans” by Nature Human Behaviour (editorial announcing ethics guidelines)
• “Nature Human Misbehavior: politicized science is neither science nor progress” by Jonathan Rauch
• “The Peril of Politicizing Science” by Anna l. Krylov
• “The Doctrine of Academic Freedom” by Sandra Y.L. Korn (article advocating for “academic justice” in lieu of academic freedom)

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