Power Struggles in Science Are Not New
Identify:
“Worries about power are not new nor are worries about questionable research practices.” Barbara Spellman page 888
Explain:
While reading an article published by Barbara Spelman, I’m finding myself deeply troubled by the quote stated above. Power and questionable research practices have been a constant struggle in science and that fact baffles my mind. Science states that it reaches objectivity and strives to find out the truth. How is that possible when it is so deeply affected by the power struggle? Power, when in the hands of the wrong people, lead to destruction.
How can we keep scientists accountable so that the right people are advanced? If everyone is trying to attain power of some kind or another, then is it reasonable to see how falsifying research or pursuing questionable research methods would arise. It is natural for humans who crave the power to do everything in their power to attain it. This includes going against guidelines and creating new innovative ways to study in order to discover something so profound that recognition will follow. But what does this mean for those these false reports affect?
It is now, more than ever, important for science to be regulated. In the scientific field, perversion has deep roots. Without care for guidelines, worries about power rule the field of discovery. These worries cloud the scientific world and make skeptics like me question the validity of any finding or conclusion made by susceptible scientists.
Question:
How do we rely on science if it is constantly corrupted by power and questionable research? How do we run from the worries of power-hungry scientists and pursue unbiased science? Is that something that is achievable?
