Evidence based science or prostitution?
By Rafał Górski , Poland
Original post published by: Instytut Spraw Obywatelskich “” Institute of Civil Affairs
Title: Nauka oparta na dowodach czy na prostytucji?
About scientific prostitution, the impact of corporations on scientific research and how the dismantling of the environmental and human protection system in Poland has been dismantled, says prof. Janusz Mikuła from the Cracow University of Technology.Published: 25 February, 2020
Attention: Translation of the Polish language into English by Antoinette Janssen via Google. The text is edited on some rare spots, to create sentences without the often by Google created abracadabra. Please check my interpretations, by using Google Translate yourself, and comparing the original Google Translation with mine. Let me know if you find mistakes in my interpretations. Sometimes it is impossible to understand the original text behind a Google translation, because Google translates the exact words, not the typical expression for something, as it is used in the original language, in this case: Polish. I have changed the translation of some specific terms into the original terms and linked it to a page that is related with it.
EXCERPT:
01. Rafał Górski: Are we dealing with scientific prostitution in Poland?
Prof. Janusz Mikuła: I am a very specific person and I answer: yes, in the case of a part of the scientific community yes.
02. Rafał Górski: What does it mean?
Prof. Janusz Mikuła: This means that strictly defined research services are carried out under the thesis assumed in advance, required by the client. This can be said in a simple, general way, but there are many specific moments where such prostitution occurs. It looks a little different in the world of exact sciences and certainly completely different in sciences such as economics and political science. Still different in sociology. It is more difficult in exact sciences, although it does happen.
03. Rafał Górski: And why are we dealing with this practice?
Prof. Janusz Mikuła: This is a complex mechanism, some of the researchers do not want to enter into conflicts, disputes with people who instruct them to do so, do not want to have problems. They want to have peace of mind, even at the expense of signing on certain theses that are not accepted in part of the scientific community, but for this peace of mind they are able to sign something like that. Some do it even to maintain or gain the right position, not necessarily in the scientific community, but for example in the local environment of a large city or in the political environment. I think that there are many such cases, because many ministries, for example, commission the preparation of various opinions and these opinions may not be objective. Sometimes there is a conversation with the person taking such an order, or even reaching people who write what they want them to write. It is basically quite simple, as I know, e.g. as a commissioner, what views a given scientist has on certain topics. As I say, the decision is to either keeping up to the facts or keeping up to the lies for the sake of peace and not to expose it to anyone, to gain the right position, be it in a political or social environment.
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