Saturday, November 04, 2006

The Danger of Pursuing Heretical Science

Or Pseudoscience. Or madness. Or whatever else it might be called. But just as in the case of the late Dr. John Mack of Harvard, seriously studying cryptids or aliens or other things that aren't supposed to exist can put your tenure in danger. in the case of Dr. Mack, enough scholars stepped forward to defend his research into alien abduction as covered by the protections of tenure. In this case, Dr. Jeffrey Maldrum, professor of anatomy at Idaho State University, is being targeted by his peers for studying Bigfoot.

I found this criticism particularly interesting


Martin Hackworth, a senior lecturer in the physics department, called Meldrum's research a "joke."

"Do I cringe when I see the Discovery Channel and I see Idaho State University, Jeff Meldrum? Yes, I do," Hackworth said. "He believes he's taken up the cause of people who have been shut out by the scientific community. He's lionized there. He's worshipped. He walks on water. It's embarrassing."

Sounds like the actual science isn't the only thing being attacked here.

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