Building a Wall on the Imaginary Line

摘要

David Sedlak's recent editorial asserts there is an "imaginary line" that keeps science objective--as long as academicians do not cross it, we will retain the "standing of academics as objective seekers of truth." At first blush, this seems a most noble aspiration. Realistically, it is simply naive to see this line as anything other than, well, imaginary. When the science is clear, scientists have an obligation to speak out. For those of us at universities, that is the point of tenure.