Posted on 02/05/2007 6:58:43 PM PST by Muentzer2005
James Sherley, a biological engineer whose opposition to embryonic stem cell research has been controversial among his peers, charges he has been denied the same freedom to challenge scientific orthodoxy afforded his white colleagues.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...
He could stand to lose a few pounds.
Vital information, not sure why it wasn't in the original post.
Sherley, who has vowed to stand in protest outside the president and provost office for three hours each morning, says he believes the research is immoral because it requires the destruction of days-old embryos. He works only with adult stem cells.
What does his race have to do with this issue. If you are being unfairly treated because your views are unpopular with your peers, you have my full support. If you are pulling a race card to get attention, shut up.
There are lots of scientists working with adult stem cells. Many of those have been highlighted here at FR. This is not why he's being denied tenure. It's because his work is not particularly good by comparison to all of those others who are out there working with ASC. He lost my support when he turned this into a racial issue, which it is not. There are lots of non-whites with tenure at MIT.
How do you know that?
Do you know of any other scientists at MIT in the same situation?
(who only work with adult stem cells?)
If he objects to e. stem cell research because he thinks it's immoral, he's probably better suited for the philosophy department.
You think morality has no place in the real world, only in the ivory tower of philosophers?
Disturbing.
He told them he works only with adult stem cells and they replied "Sherley, you can't be serious..." and he said "I am serious and don't call me...oh, wait."
Obviously an expert on evaluating those who do adult stem cell research. There are a lot of those out there.
It probably is not racial as much as political. But most of what you say sounds like pure speculation. There is no way you could know about his work and provide and evaluation of such unless you had inside information or was on the review board.
Why??? People with conservative views should be afraid to express their opinions??? Is is right that conservatives are punished??? Academic freedom is only for leftists, I suppose.
Oh, I understood you clearly.
You don't think it is appropriate for this professor to speak out on the morality of research conducted by his peers. You think he should shut up.
You say you think we have an obligation to live our lives with morals and reason. How consistant is this with your view that people should not pause to consider morality, or at least not speak out about it? That this should somehow be left to philosphers instead of everyday people? I think your stance is altogether immoral and unconscionable.
I am of the opposite opinion. Morality is everyone's business! Just because you are a scientist doesn't mean you abandon your conscience, your morality, your voice. This man was speaking out about the activities of his peers at his institution. What you are saying, is that people should not consider morality in their everyday life, leave morality to philosphy departments. If someone asks us why we let immoral acts happen without pausing to consider or say anything, we can just say we were following orders.
Our laws are influenced by everyday people, as well as experts in their field as this man was. Both are far more influential in our laws than philosophy departments.
Because it is a game. If you want to play the game you need to play the game by the rules.
Academic freedom is only for leftists, I suppose.
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Unfortunately I think you are right. If I ever decide to go that route, I will definitely keep my mouth shut till I have tenure. Or until things wrap around so far that being conservative becomes part of the counter-culture and is perceived as "cool," in opposition to those fuddy-duddy leftists ;) .
Funny stuff.
His work is published and I reviewed much of it when I first heard of his tenure problems a year ago. IMO his work isn't up to MIT tenure standards and 3 different review comittees found that to be the case as well.
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