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The Verge just keeps putting out articles on Peter Thiel. Seems now like Thiel might be teaching a seminar at the Berkeley Institute:
Earlier this year, the Berkeley Institute, a private academic institution, listed a seminar on "Heterodox Science." The seminar was first scheduled to begin in November, then moved to January. On the Institute's website, the instructor of the Heterodox Science course has been described only as "Guest Instructor: Author & Founder of IMITATIO." The accompanying photo is of the back of a white man's head. IMITATIO has three founders; two are dead. The third is billionaire PayPal founder, Gawker litigator, ubiquitous venture capitalist, and contrarian Trump advisor, Peter Thiel.
IMITATIO is a website dedicated to the ideas of René Girard, and his theory of memetic desire.
The Verge continues:
What is Heterodox Science? "Heterodox" — coming from the Greek root words heteros, meaning "the other," and doxa, meaning "opinion" — refers to atypical beliefs or those beliefs which go against prevailing norms. In the modern political context, heterodoxy has been adopted by conservative groups concerned about what they view as a suffocating echo chamber in the liberal academy. The most prominent heterodox organization is the "Heterodox Academy," which describes itself as an "association of professors who have come together to express their support for increasing viewpoint diversity—particularly political diversity—in universities."
Interesting, heterodox is also the root for "heretic"! And it appears that some have gotten the ear of the president elect? But it may ultimately be that "heterodox science" is just like "alternative medicine" according to the old joke: "Do you know what they call alternative medicine that actually works? Medicine."
(Score: 2, Troll) by driverless on Monday January 02 2017, @01:20AM
Absolutely. And I don't even want to go into the way clinical trials have been progressively hacked by both the companies providing testing services (e.g. sign up junkies who fake symptoms in order to be paid drug money) and big pharma ("There are no facts, there is no truth / Just data to be manipulated / I can get you any result you like / What's it worth to you?"). So when I mentioned evidence-based medicine I meant the theory, not necessarily the practice as it's evolved in recent years.