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Scientific freedom
 
 
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Scientific freedom is the idea of freedom (in the sense of Freedom of thought
Freedom of thought

Freedom of thought is the Freedom of an individual to hold or consider a fact, viewpoint, or thought, independent of others' viewpoints. It is closely related to, yet distinct from, the concept of freedom of speech....
 and Freedom of the press
Freedom of the press

Freedom of the press consists ofconstitutional or Statute protections pertaining to the Mass media and published materials.With respect to governmental information, any government distinguishes which materials are public or protected from disclosure to the public based on classified information as sensitive, classified or secret and being...
) applied to natural science, in particular the practices of scientific research and discourse, mainly by publication. The ideal is promoted by many organizations of scientists, and is the subject of article 15 ¶ 3 of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights
International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights

The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights is a multilateral treaty adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on December 16, 1966, and in force from January 3, 1976....
.

One classic defence of the idea is in Michael Polanyi
Michael Polanyi

Michael Polanyi, Fellow of the Royal Society was a Hungary?United Kingdom polymath whose thought and work extended across physical chemistry, economics, and philosophy....
's book, Personal Knowledge (1958). Polanyi criticized the common view that the scientific method is purely objective and generates objective knowledge.






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Scientific freedom is the idea of freedom (in the sense of Freedom of thought
Freedom of thought

Freedom of thought is the Freedom of an individual to hold or consider a fact, viewpoint, or thought, independent of others' viewpoints. It is closely related to, yet distinct from, the concept of freedom of speech....
 and Freedom of the press
Freedom of the press

Freedom of the press consists ofconstitutional or Statute protections pertaining to the Mass media and published materials.With respect to governmental information, any government distinguishes which materials are public or protected from disclosure to the public based on classified information as sensitive, classified or secret and being...
) applied to natural science, in particular the practices of scientific research and discourse, mainly by publication. The ideal is promoted by many organizations of scientists, and is the subject of article 15 ¶ 3 of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights
International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights

The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights is a multilateral treaty adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on December 16, 1966, and in force from January 3, 1976....
.

One classic defence of the idea is in Michael Polanyi
Michael Polanyi

Michael Polanyi, Fellow of the Royal Society was a Hungary?United Kingdom polymath whose thought and work extended across physical chemistry, economics, and philosophy....
's book, Personal Knowledge (1958). Polanyi criticized the common view that the scientific method is purely objective and generates objective knowledge. Polanyi cast this view as a misunderstanding of the scientific method and of the nature of scientific inquiry, generally. He argued that scientists do and must follow personal passions in appraising facts and in determining which scientific questions to investigate. He concluded that a structure of liberty is essential for the advancement of science - that the freedom to pursue science for its own sake is a prerequisite for the production of knowledge through peer review and the scientific method
Scientific method

Scientific method refers to techniques for investigating phenomenon, acquiring new knowledge, or correcting and integrating previous knowledge. To be termed scientific, a method of inquiry must be based on gathering observable, empirical and Measure evidence subject to specific principles of reasoning....
. Polanyi subsequently co-founded the Society for Freedom in Science
Society for Freedom in Science

The Society for Freedom in Science was founded in 1940 by John Baker and Michael Polanyi to defend and promote a liberal conception of science as free enquiry against the instrumental view that science should exist primarily to serve the needs of society....
.

See also


  • AAAS Award for Scientific Freedom and Responsibility
    AAAS Award for Scientific Freedom and Responsibility

    The Award for Scientific Freedom and Responsibility is given by the American Association for the Advancement of Science and "honors scientists and engineers whose exemplary actions, often taken at significant personal cost, have served to foster scientific freedom and responsibility". ...
  • American Association for the Advancement of Science
    American Association for the Advancement of Science

    The American Association for the Advancement of Science is an international non-profit organization with the stated goals of promoting cooperation between scientists, defending scientific freedom, encouraging scientific responsibility, and supporting science education and science outreach for the betterment of all humanity....


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