A group of non-progressive scholars is calling on the federal government to reform federal funding of science and academic research:
The National Association of Scholars recently rolled out “The Prometheus Program” report, which spells out dozens of ways in which both university leaders and lawmakers can tackle problems facing science, from funding issues to ideological biases.
“The Prometheus Program aims to rebuild American science, above all by university reform, to search for truth, depoliticize research, and secure American security and prosperity,” said report author David Randall, NAS director of research.
The plan aims to provide practical solutions to revive the quality of American science within universities and beyond, covering a variety of subjects, from the crisis of research irreproducibility to the use of artificial intelligence in the field.
The federal government “should not fund research that is not publicly accessible, and therefore cannot be reproduced,” the report says. And “all federal grants” should “go to researchers who follow the best practices of research integrity,” including following through with commitments to release the data cited in their studies.
Climate change research, the irreproducibility crisis, and university finances all badly need reform, the report’s author says. Congress should “require the EPA to use and require reproducibility methodologies,” especially regarding climate change claims.
“Activist pressure has severely distorted environmental science education and research,” the report adds. “‘Environmental Science’ has been transformed into ‘Environmental Studies,’ which subordinate scientific inquiry to political activism and the promotion of environmental hysteria.”
The report also addresses transgender issues. “American policymakers should restore all policies that treat these mental illnesses as mental illnesses, rather than a form of ‘gender identity,’” the report says. “Individuals suffering from these conditions deserve compassion and treatment that encourages them to align their beliefs and understanding of themselves with biological reality.”
It also takes issue with the nebulous concept of “implicit bias,” which implies that bias is everywhere and in everything, based on meaningless tests.
“Ideologically extreme advocates have sought support from implicit bias theory and the Implicit Association Test (IAT), which purport to provide scientific evidence that most or all Americans unconsciously engage in biased conduct,” the report says, lamenting that state laws have been enacted to combat this sometimes imaginary bias.
“These laws and regulations generally require so-called ‘anti-racist’ conduct to counter ‘implicit’ or ‘unconscious’ bias—which rigorous social scientific research has revealed is imaginary,” the report states.
“Policymakers should rescind all laws, regulations, and programs based on implicit bias theory.”
The report calls for building more nuclear power plants. Congress should “facilitate the replacement and refurbishment of existing nuclear power plants, so that America’s nuclear sector doesn’t age into obsolescence,” it says.
The report addresses the so-called irreproducibility crisis, with increasing evidence that most research in certain fields is not reproducible and lacks accuracy (especially education schools, where the lion’s share of research is not reproducible and reaches false conclusions).
“The worst crises in science policy and science education generally occur in the areas most profoundly distorted by progressive politics,” the report notes. “Since progressives frequently turn tentative scientific research into articles of faith, any policy that restores proper scientific procedures to these areas must have a political effect.”
