Please enable JS and disable any ad blocker Two pilots were killed when their small plane crashed in southwestern Germany The ultralight aircraft crashed near a lake in Linkenheim-Hochstetten on Sunday were found dead at the scene by search and rescue teams The cause of the crash was not immediately clear and authorities have said that the investigation was ongoing From an article in Science magazine by journalist Rachael Zamzow we learn that many social scientists believe that a published paper should include in its author details a “’positionality statement’ from each author describing how their identity might influence their work” one author maintains that it is “an invitation to think more broadly about what your role as a researcher is” To illustrate the supposed benefits from such declarations an imaginary case is offered: “If you’re an astronomer Is that telescope put there with knowledge of the people who call that place their land?’”  We believe that although some might find this an interesting question for a sociological or ethnographic study the value of a report concerning a heavenly body discovered using that telescope How a disclosure of the astronomer’s sexual orientation would add anything to the understanding of the matter by a reader of the article in an astronomy journal is puzzling The call for “positionality statements” reveals some basic confusion: One thing is the (interesting) description and analysis of the sociological and historical settings in which scientific endeavors are located and undertaken; Another thing is the results of research contained in a scientific paper on whatever topic This is why a basic principle of peer review – which is a pillar of evaluation/advancement in sciences – is anonymity (“blindness”) but he got it right about the wrinkled peas; and it would not have mattered if he had been a black handicapped Spanish-speaking lesbian atheist.” That is a truism that epistemic relativists seem unable to grasp https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=52038667 has been endorsed by the following scientists (names of institutions are for identification purposes only)  – Giovanni Molteni Tagliabue – Como Independent researcher in political science and socio-political/legislative aspects of ag biotech Associate Professor of the Geophysical Sciences Bentley – Cardiff Metropolitan University Georgia Research Alliance Distinguished Investigator and Professor – Enrico Bucci – Temple University – John Bullock – Bennington College – Pellegrino Conte – University of Palermo – Jerry Coyne – The University of Chicago Professor Emeritus of Ecology and Evolution – Adrian Dubock – Member & Executive Secretary – Jon Entine – Genetic Literacy Project website – Giorio Giovanni – Metapontum Agrobios Research Centre – Jacqueline Gottlieb – Columbia University – Jonathan Gressel – Weizmann Institute of Science – Lakshman Guruswamy – University of Colorado Hammonds – Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center Assistant Professor of Infectious Diseases – Nurit Haspel – University of Massachusetts – Geoff Horsman – Wilfrid Laurier University Associate Professor of Chemistry & Biochemistry – Anna Krylov – University of Southern California USC Associates Chair in Natural Sciences and Professor of Chemistry – Marcel Kuntz – University of Grenoble-Alpes Director of Research at Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)  – Klaus-Dieter Jany – Association of Genomics and Genetic Engineering e.V – Brian Leiter – University of Chicago Chair of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology Program – Alan McHughen – University of California – Axel Meyer – University of Konstanz Professor of Zoology and Evolutionary Biology Miller – University of California Santa Cruz – Glenn Swogger Distinguished Fellow USA; Founding director of the FDA’s Office of Biotechnology – Sadredin Moosavi – Rochester Community & Technical College – Piero Morandini – University of Milan – Ernest Mund – Research director of the FNRS – Robert Paarlberg – Harvard Kennedy School – Marisol Quintanilla – Michigan State University – Gerard Rass – Agronomist – Ecologist (retired) – INAPG Institut National Agronomique de Paris Grignon (1972) General Secretary of the Global Conservation Agriculture Network – Catherine Regnault-Roger – Emeritus University Professor at the University of Pau and Pays de l’Adour (E2S UPPA) – member of the French Academy of Agriculture and the National Academy of Pharmacy – Ilya Reviakine – University of Washington – Keith Riles – University of Michigan – Richard John Roberts – Chief Scientific Officer 1993 Nobel Laureate in Physiology or Medicin – Paul Roundy – University at Albany Guest researcher at : Université Paris-Saclay – Abhishek Saha – Queen Mary University of London – Angelo Santino – Head of Unit European Plant Science Organization (EPSO) – Julia Schaletzky – University of California Center for Emerging and Neglected Diseases – Gregory Shearer – Penn State University Professor of Nutrition and Physiology; Chair Integrative and Biomedical Physiology Program – Michael Shulman – University of San Diego – Judith Totman Parrish – University of Idaho – Roberto Tuberosa – University of Bologna Professor in Biotechnology Applied to Plant Breeding Department of Agricultural and Food Sciences – Ignazio Verde – Council for Agricultural Research and Economics (CREA) – François Vazeille – CNRS France Laboratory of Physics Clermont-Ferrand and CERN Geneva (CH) Professor of biophysics and nuclear medicine – Robert Wager – Vancouver Island University – James West – Vanderbilt University Medical Center Professor of Pulmonary & Critical Care Medicine “State of the Art/Science in Anthropology.” Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences 775: 327-45 1968; chapter originally published as Science and Technology in a Democratic Order Scientists clash over ‘positionality statements’ This post is also available in: FR (FR) Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value" Curious about where the EU currently stands on regulating green biotechnology dive into our exclusive three-way interview with Catherine Regnault-Roger* European Scientist gives a voice to those involved in science policy To encourage debate and freedom of expression, consider making a donation where scientific fact is often superseded by political dogma The European Scientist aims to set the record straight TES gives a voice to researchers and experts looking to explain the ins and outs behind the most seemingly complex scientific debates in Europe PROMOTE YOUR COMPANY The demand and the market for screws with Torx-Drives is constantly increasing we want to face up to this challenge and establish ourselves as a reliable supplier in the sector The following standards will be added with Torx-Drives: Albert Pasvahl offer you their experience and expertise in special connection elements and accessories resulting from over 90 years in business they have become a 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