Friday, November 27, 2009

Where is the Scientific Integrity Patrol on Climategate?

The Scientific Integrity Patrol, which blew up over the appointment of Francis Collins as the head of the National Institutes of Health because he was a Christian, has been noticeably silent about Climategate. The silence of the Jerry Coynes and P. Z. Myers of the world doesn't even ascend to the level of a double standard, as pointed out nicely by Michael Egnor at the Discovery Institute:

Compare the pro-science blogosphere’s silence about fraud and scientific misconduct in climate science to another recent controversy in science: the appointment of Francis Collins as Director of the National Institutes of Health. Collins is a scientist of the highest professional and personal reputation. His scandal, according to the science blogsphere, is this:

He’s a Christian who publicly talks about his belief in God.

Read the rest here.

at

1 comment:

  1. Lee7:38 AM

    Well, at least now we know why they could confidently taunt critical papers for not being peer-reviewed. It helps your case when you can influence which papers get peer-reviewed, and which publications are allowed to do so.

    My instincts tell me this may be the tip of the iceberg, especially when billions of dollars in grant money are at stake. What other branch of scientific inquiry likes to taunt its critics for not being peer-reviewed?

    ReplyDelete

You are welcome to post at this blog. You are asked, however, to refrain from the following:

1. Name-calling;
2. Questioning the motives or integrity of people you have never met just because you disagree with them;
3. Using obscenities or other expressions not appropriate or necessary to civilized discussion;
4. Taking disagreement personally;
5. Demeaning or insulting remarks.

The host will attempt to abide by the same rules and only asks that you not provide him with the temptation to do so in return by violating them.

Failure to comply with these rules can result (depending solely on the arbitrary and inscrutable will of the host) in the deletion of offending posts and suspension of posting privileges. Such measures are more likely if you post anonymously.