May 24, 2024 05:31 PM
https://skepticalinquirer.org/exclusive/...the-money/
EXCERPTS: Shock waves rolled through academia in August 2023 when Harvard Business School professor Francesca Gino sued her employer, Harvard University. The reaction to this news was not caused by the mere fact of the lawsuit. Nowadays, professors often sue their employers. The classic case involves a professor who is denied tenure and sues claiming discrimination—an understandable response because tenure entitles the bearer to lifetime employment and denial of tenure typically means the professor will lose their job. As a result, the loss of future income following a negative tenure review is substantial.
[...] How did it come to this? Once upon a time, science was more “gentlemanly” (yes, it was mostly men). There have often been intense rivalries and strong disagreements, but it rarely came to blows. A $25 million lawsuit is a next-level academic dustup. In my view, much of this comes from the injection of money and fame into a world where it never was before.
[...] Those days are gone. Today, professors write bestselling books, give TED talks, appear on TV, and enjoy lucrative consulting contracts and speaking fees. Today, top professors are rockstars. ... The law is supposed create a level playing field, but in the courtroom, people with resources have obvious advantages. This is not the way science is supposed to be done, but in a world that creates rockstar academics making large sums of money, it is likely to continue. Good science also requires an equal playing field, and when researchers cannot speak freely without the threat of legal entanglements, we all suffer... (MORE - details)
EXCERPTS: Shock waves rolled through academia in August 2023 when Harvard Business School professor Francesca Gino sued her employer, Harvard University. The reaction to this news was not caused by the mere fact of the lawsuit. Nowadays, professors often sue their employers. The classic case involves a professor who is denied tenure and sues claiming discrimination—an understandable response because tenure entitles the bearer to lifetime employment and denial of tenure typically means the professor will lose their job. As a result, the loss of future income following a negative tenure review is substantial.
[...] How did it come to this? Once upon a time, science was more “gentlemanly” (yes, it was mostly men). There have often been intense rivalries and strong disagreements, but it rarely came to blows. A $25 million lawsuit is a next-level academic dustup. In my view, much of this comes from the injection of money and fame into a world where it never was before.
[...] Those days are gone. Today, professors write bestselling books, give TED talks, appear on TV, and enjoy lucrative consulting contracts and speaking fees. Today, top professors are rockstars. ... The law is supposed create a level playing field, but in the courtroom, people with resources have obvious advantages. This is not the way science is supposed to be done, but in a world that creates rockstar academics making large sums of money, it is likely to continue. Good science also requires an equal playing field, and when researchers cannot speak freely without the threat of legal entanglements, we all suffer... (MORE - details)