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Article: Rhetoric and reality
- Article from:
- The Spectator
- Article date:
- February 20, 1999
- Author:
CopyrightCopyright Spectator Feb 20, 1999. Provided by ProQuest LLC. (Hide copyright information)
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SILENCING SCIENTISTS AND SCHOLARS IN OTHER FIELDS
by Gordon Moran Ablex Publishing Corp, 25, pp. 187
The rhetoric of `academic freedom' goes something like this:
Scholars are committed and devoted to seeking the truth; scholars enjoy academic freedom in their pursuit of truth; scholarly research and communication are characterised by openness, free exchange of ideas, and debate that involves critical inquiry. . . science is self-correcting; peer review fosters quality control and integrity in research grants and publications; science and scholarly research and communication are based on trust.
And so on.
So much for the official line. What about the reality? Gordon Moran thinks there ...