Another Socratic Oath
The article titled ‘The Socratic Oath of an Academic’ in this collection discusses the concept of an academic’s Socratic Oath. To the two vows in that oath, I would like to add three that deserve commitment.
Articles
Recollections of a biology student: waiting for “achchhe din”, which never came!
The decades before the turn of the century, years prior to globalization, and emergence of internet, the prevailing scene of science training and research in India were replete with repetitive and meaningless research themes and decadence in the social and human dimensions of academic life. The author recalls, in a general and anecdotal manner, the overall atmosphere prevailing in academic institutions, as a student of biology in the 1980s. It is left open for the reader to decide whether situations have changed in the meantime.
Undergraduate Research, an approach to create sustained academic curiosity
Academic research should not be limited to students of an advance level alone, it is imperative to start acclimatising first-year undergraduate students to open up to independent academic thought. All academic institutions need to celebrate their undergraduates and give them a chance to participate in academic discourse, they need to feel welcomed, included and confident in the perspective they choose to represent.
Academician: A Hope for A Brighter Future
The academician is primarily meant to be furthering their chosen field – be it in the sciences, arts or something else. Furthering their field would include research, teaching or communication about that field adhering to proper ethical standards.
How Digital Media Weaponised Ignorance During a Pandemic
The digital media is therefore, in many ways, a gift to simpletons who believe in whatever nonsense is thrown at them, and even more so to the creators and designers of this nonsense. The various platforms on the internet, from Facebook to YouTube, on which one can “say or write anything”, are literally like freely available weapons to be used by any know-it-all – innocent or partisan –to throw drivel at everyone on the street. It is not the case that there was no stupidity in the world in earlier times but the means to make stupidity ubiquitous were absent, thus limiting the amount of nonsense that could be created and injected into the system, and also the speed at which it would propagate.
The cost-benefits of raising ethical issues
A simple way to maximize benefits while keeping the costs to a minimum is to take issues which have a mass appeal but in which people in your immediate circle are not under any blame. The issue concerns something at a non-personal level, which could be societal, ideological, legal, political, international etc. On the other hand, if you find an unethical act at your own institution, the costs of protests are large and the benefits are small.
The Corona COVID-19 Crisis: Containment versus management. The costs and the benefits, the scientists and the bureaucrats.
Epidemics have both, a clinical and scientific side as well as a governance and public health management side.
Do the Dark undemocratic paths pave the real future of science academia
The word ‘science’ always creates pre-eminence in the human brain, and we socialized in the same way of being, beholding this as an orthodox mark of excellence. However, the compassion and love for science are merely visible in just the lyrics and have vanished unhurriedly from academia. We are heading to a future of dark undemocratic path in science academia at most of the higher institutions in India.
Ethical Duties and Responsibilities of Academicians in a Patriarchal and Casteist Society
Academicians have a high ethical responsibility to humanity in general, to be open to criticism, and to encourage telling the truth irrespective of consequences. But unfortunately, many academicians are carriers of unscientific, irrational and illogical thoughts which undermine the true values of science. This is a major impediment to the creation of a better society.
Science should drive lockdown
Physical distancing by closing down schools, offices, businesses and staying at home is all that we can do to slow the spread