VIDEO: Does Merit Matter?

Restoring the Sciences Webinar Series

National Association of Scholars

In April 2023, twenty-nine prominent scholars published a public letter in the Journal of Controversial Ideas titled, "In Defense of Merit in Science." The question raises itself: Merit in science is a controversial idea?

"In Defense of Merit in Science" is an eloquent statement of a principle: science can only thrive if it embodies the best minds, who are allowed unfettered access to scientific frontiers. Yet, the academic science ecosystem is increasingly dominated by an administrative class that seeks to control scientists and curtail their freedom. This raises a second question: How can the principle effectively be defended? Can scientists do it from within the academy? Can faculty wrest their independence back?

This event features Bernhardt L. Trout, Professor of Chemical Engineering at MIT, and Luana Maroja, Professor of Biology at Williams College. The event is moderated by J. Scott Turner.


Photo by jesse orrico on Unsplash

  • Share

Most Commented

July 12, 2023

1.

Scott Gerber’s Case in Context

Ohio Northern University seems intent on chiseling into granite its protocol for getting rid of a faculty member who disagrees with the institution’s woke ideology, even when the......

July 19, 2023

2.

On Collegiality

Increasingly, collegiality is being added to the traditional triad of excellence that wins professors tenure. And now, the issue of collegiality is a fraught minefield, and has become&#......

June 22, 2023

3.

Accreditation? A Woke, Good-Cop-Bad-Cop Scam

The “diversity” bug afflicts almost all of academia; dissenters face opprobrium. But the very same mindset controls accreditors....

Most Read

April 14, 2023

1.

Faculty Fight for Academic Freedom at Harvard

While many faculty quietly endorse views they privately disagree with, Harvard faculty band together to resist administrative overreach, overzealous students, and protect academic freedom....

May 15, 2015

2.

Where Did We Get the Idea That Only White People Can Be Racist?

A look at the double standard that has arisen regarding racism, illustrated recently by the reaction to a black professor's biased comments on Twitter....

June 20, 2023

3.

How Many Confucius Institutes Are in the United States?

UPDATED: We're keeping track of all Confucius Institutes in the United States, including those that remain open, those that closed, and those that have announced their closing....