Politicization of scholarship

Name(s):

Ideological domination of research

Ideological resolution of scientific issues

Ethical resolution of scientific issues

Religious resolution of scientific issues

Misuse of democratic processes to resolve theoretical issues

Politicization of research

Nature

Because of the importance of scientific insight into certain problems faced by humanity, efforts are made by those with ideological commitments, who are concerned at the dimensions of such challenges, to obtain scientific sanction in support of ideologically acceptable positions in response to such challenges. Such initiatives can result in attempts to resolve prematurely certain scientific issues, on which research is still in progress, using methods of ideological discourse that are inappropriate.

Incidence

Efforts have been made to resolve scientific issues on the nature of violence by obtaining a vote amongst members of academic societies. Scientists are then faced with the dilemma of whether to offend morally committed colleagues by appearing anti-peace or pro-sociobiology, so that any opposition is made to appear like advocacy of war. The exercise then becomes, in the absence of public debate, a ritual of good intentions, leading to the thoughtless acceptance of incompletely researched phenomena. Similar efforts have been made amongst psychiatrists to resolve the question of whether homosexuality constitutes normal or deviant sexual behaviour.

Claim

1. The refusal to take a stand is not itself a political stance, unless the issue in question is explicitly political where the act of taking a stance has political consequences for everyone. Such a refusal may mean nothing more than a decision to suspend judgement in anticipation of further evidence. Even in the light of overwhelming evidence, continued suspension of judgement can only be considered unscholarly, but not political.<2. Scholarly decisions cannot be made by legislation and resolutions. If initiatives are taken to organize the intellectual community to declare, by the vote of an ideologically or ethically intimidated majority, that certain testable scientific hypotheses are "incorrect", and even evil and dangerous, then this is well on the way to harnessing aggressive instincts in the service of what has taken the form of inquisitions, pogroms, witch hunts, book-burning, the stamping out of heresy, and finally the jihad, the crusade and the "war to end all wars".

Counter-claim

Refusal to take a stance is itself a political stance.

Broader

Political radicalism

Political partisanship

Denial of academic freedom

Unethical intellectual practices

Undue religious influence on secular life

Narrower

Radicalization of academia

Commercialization of research

Misuse of evolutionary theories