Upcoming Events

International | Sci-Tech

no events match your query!

New Events

International

no events posted in last week

Blog Feeds

Public Inquiry
Interested in maladministration. Estd. 2005

offsite link RTEs Sarah McInerney ? Fianna Fail?supporter? Anthony

offsite link Joe Duffy is dishonest and untrustworthy Anthony

offsite link Robert Watt complaint: Time for decision by SIPO Anthony

offsite link RTE in breach of its own editorial principles Anthony

offsite link Waiting for SIPO Anthony

Public Inquiry >>

Human Rights in Ireland
Promoting Human Rights in Ireland

Human Rights in Ireland >>

Lockdown Skeptics

The Daily Sceptic

offsite link Ministries of Silly Charts Wed Mar 26, 2025 09:00 | Caroline Ffiske
Gender ideology is so obviously ludicrous that it has spawned hundreds of silly charts across the public and private sector to try to get itself taken seriously. Caroline Ffiske takes a look at some of the worst.
The post Ministries of Silly Charts appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

offsite link The Irrelevance of Science and Statistics Wed Mar 26, 2025 07:00 | James Alexander
It is a sad reflection on our age that the line 'lies, damned lies and statistics' was forgotten, says Prof James Alexander. Good political sense can never be grounded on statistics, but only on history and criticism.
The post The Irrelevance of Science and Statistics appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

offsite link News Round-Up Wed Mar 26, 2025 00:18 | Richard Eldred
A summary of the most interesting stories in the past 24 hours that challenge the prevailing orthodoxy about the ?climate emergency?, public health ?crises? and the supposed moral defects of Western civilisation.
The post News Round-Up appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

offsite link Publish or Be Damned Tue Mar 25, 2025 19:00 | John MacNab
Academic publishing is in crisis. Now a multi-billion dollar industry where researchers pay journals to publish their papers, the old guarantees of quality and accuracy have been stripped away, says John MacNab.
The post Publish or Be Damned appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

offsite link NHS Hauls Nurse Over Coals for Calling 6ft Transgender Paedophile ?Mr? Tue Mar 25, 2025 17:00 | Will Jones
An NHS hospital is being sued after it hauled a popular nurse over the coals for calling a 6ft transgender paedophile "Mr" when discussing a catheter with a doctor ? despite him lunging at her and calling her a "n****".
The post NHS Hauls Nurse Over Coals for Calling 6ft Transgender Paedophile “Mr” appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

Lockdown Skeptics >>

Voltaire Network
Voltaire, international edition

offsite link Western Europeans Deprived of Defense, by Thierry Meyssan Tue Mar 25, 2025 06:04 | en

offsite link Voltaire, International Newsletter N?125 Fri Mar 21, 2025 11:48 | en

offsite link The London Virtual Summit for Ukraine Fri Mar 21, 2025 11:19 | en

offsite link After Ukraine, Iran?, by Thierry Meyssan Thu Mar 20, 2025 11:34 | en

offsite link Voltaire, International Newsletter N?124 Sat Mar 15, 2025 05:56 | en

Voltaire Network >>

Commercial Science

category international | sci-tech | opinion/analysis author Tuesday November 03, 2020 21:43author by Sean Crudden - IMPERO Report this post to the editors

Is Progress Possible?

I do not know much about it. But I think science policy nationally and internationally is a delicate balance. It's difficult to form a picture of who is doing research, what are their objectives, what are the rewards. My impression is that science is mostly controlled by commercial interests. What is invented mostly is what can sell. You have copyright and secrecy backed up by law to preserve the pitch for profit. It is easy to see the sense in this because it provides an incentive for scientists and their employers to spend time and money on research.

But there is also a negative aspect to this way of doing things. Manufacturers are not wholly induced to innovate. They might see more profit from concentrating on already discovered products. Pharmaceuticals are, perhaps, an example of this. Instead of looking for new and improved drugs, they may see more profit from continuing to produce older drugs even if they are less than perfect with lots of unwanted effects.

Maybe we are at the end of scientific discovery. Has everything already been invented? Is there nothing new down the tracks?

The classic image of the scientist is a sort of picture of the lonely artist working in his garret. Striving might and main with little backup. Anxious for a breakthrough. Ready to publish findings and share with fellow scientists. The main incentive fame and approval from his or her peers. A sort of race to the South Pole to see who will be the first to get there.

The positive side of this has nothing to do with science as such. The spirit of enquiry. Openness. Fellowship. Sharing.

The picture of scientists we have now is of faceless gnomes with riding instructions beavering away to make a profit for their bosses.

Sir Alexander Fleming is a scientist we all seem to be indebted to. But who is responsible for most of the rest of the discoveries which impact our daily lives?

What science does is less important, in my view, than how it does it.

Anyway, I think a platform like Wiki or iTunes would be useful. Oblige scientists to report on their work in an accessible way, pace commercial interests.

Related Link: http://imperodotorg.wordpress.com
© 2001-2025 Independent Media Centre Ireland. Unless otherwise stated by the author, all content is free for non-commercial reuse, reprint, and rebroadcast, on the net and elsewhere. Opinions are those of the contributors and are not necessarily endorsed by Independent Media Centre Ireland. Disclaimer | Privacy