Stories
Slash Boxes
Comments

SoylentNews is people

posted by Fnord666 on Tuesday October 10 2017, @06:16AM   Printer-friendly
from the ethics-committee dept.

Submitted via IRC for TheMightyBuzzard

Bath Spa University is conducting an internal inquiry into claims that it turned down an application for research on gender reassignment reversal because it was "potentially politically incorrect" and would attract criticism on social media.

James Caspian, a psychotherapist who specialises in working with transgender people, proposed the research about "detransitioning" to the university in south-west England, which, he said, initially approved the application.

When he went back with his preliminary findings that suggested growing numbers of young people, particularly women, were regretting gender reassignment, Bath Spa said his proposal would have to be resubmitted to the ethics committee, which rejected it.

Caspian, who enrolled on an MA course at the university, said he was "astonished" by the decision and had sought legal advice.

"The fundamental reason given was that it might cause criticism of the research on social media, and criticism of the research would be criticism of the university. They also added it's better not to offend people," he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme on Monday.

I was going to add some snark here but they pretty well covered making a mockery of academia for me.

Source: The Guardian

Also at: The Times


Original Submission

 
This discussion has been archived. No new comments can be posted.
Display Options Threshold/Breakthrough Mark All as Read Mark All as Unread
The Fine Print: The following comments are owned by whoever posted them. We are not responsible for them in any way.
  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday October 11 2017, @07:34AM (2 children)

    by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday October 11 2017, @07:34AM (#580334)

    It's a condemnation of society when universities blacklisting certain sorts of science because it might offend some group or another is considered politics.

    In particular it creates a false narrative. Imagine when the powers that be held that the Earth was the center of the universe. If they simply black listed all science saying otherwise (which, indeed, they did do) then one could appeal to authority and claim that all reputed science clearly shows that the Earth is the center of the universe. Peoples' feelings should play no role in what is or is not publishable. And if we must consider feelings during publication, then no science on the topic whatsoever ought be allowed to be published as it would inherently lead to be a misrepresentation of the state of science on the topic.

  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday October 11 2017, @07:45AM (1 child)

    by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday October 11 2017, @07:45AM (#580338)

    Yes, but turn yourself around, you poor, benighted alt-right imbecile, and imagine that someone wanted to do a research project at a major University to prove that the earth is the center of the Universe, or that whites are genetically superior to other races. Do you thing turning down these idiots would not hurt their feelings? Of course it would, and well it should, for they, like the protagonist in our Fine article, are partisan idiots, and not serious scientists at all. We all know this.

    You can complain, if your feeling are hurt by the fact their feelings are hurt. But sorry, for the 14th time, we will not fund your study proving that homeopathy works, or that con-trails are actually mind-control substances dispersed by the Government. And still no on the "Face on Mars" research project, and HELL NO on the Electric Universe theory that craters on the Moon were created by electrostatic discharge and not meteor impacts. And also, please no more proposals on the red-shift. We are the Academy, and we will laugh at you.

    • (Score: 2) by chromas on Wednesday October 11 2017, @10:52PM

      by chromas (34) Subscriber Badge on Wednesday October 11 2017, @10:52PM (#580833) Journal

      we will not fund your study proving that homeopathy works, or that con-trails are actually mind-control substances dispersed by the Government.

      Yeah but you wouldn't not-fund those studies because of their fee-fees, but because those ideas are stupid.

      or that whites are genetically superior to other races

      I dunno, we seem to be the only ones with the ability to obtain IDs (which is why ID for voting be racis) and also were able to enslave all those rich African kangs 'n' sheeit with our white colonialisms.