{"id":7236,"date":"2024-08-09T18:50:50","date_gmt":"2024-08-09T18:50:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/cesr\/?page_id=7236"},"modified":"2025-02-16T00:51:54","modified_gmt":"2025-02-16T00:51:54","slug":"censorship-in-the-sciences-interdisciplinary-perspectives","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/cesr\/censorship-in-the-sciences-interdisciplinary-perspectives\/","title":{"rendered":"Censorship in the Sciences: Interdisciplinary Perspectives"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n\n \n \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
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Censorship in sciences entails suppression of the investigation of scientific questions, or the publication or dissemination of scientific research, on the grounds that such knowledge would be dangerous, undesirable, or contrary to moral, political, or religious beliefs, attitudes or values adhered to by some segment of the population.<\/p>\n

This conference brings together experts (both within and outside academia) to address a series of contentious issues about scientific censorship. When, if ever, does rejection of manuscripts for publication or grants for funding constitute censorship? How much of a role, if any, should ethical\/moral issues play in deciding which scientific ideas to disseminate? What are the likely costs and benefits of institutionalized censorship, how do we decide, and who decides, when the benefits outweigh the costs?<\/p>\n

When and how do university administrations and funding agencies, through either action or inaction, mask censorship by finding ostensibly \u201cother\u201d reasons to silence scientists? How does censorship of scientists or scientific ideas manifest? Is compelled speech a form of censorship, and, if so, how does it manifest in science?<\/p>\n

By bringing together experts with widely varying perspectives on censorship from within the natural sciences, social sciences, philosophy, humanities, and law we aim to host a civil conversation regarding these different perspectives and sharpen the understanding of what is and is not scientific censorship and when it may and may not be justified.<\/p>\n

The following topics were discussed during the course of the conference:<\/p>\n