I have been peripherally linked to two major scandals in modern science “Cold Fusion” and “Room Temperature Superconductivity”. A man for whom I was a post doc was linked to Martin Fleischmann who was his supervisor. I had a few conversations with an ex-student about the more recent room temperature superconductivity controversy. It was mooted that I might join the start-up.
If you are an accepted “bishop” like Fleischmann it is easier to survive than if you are a mere curate like Ranga Dias.
“Science” tends to permanently excommunicate those found guilty of breaking the “rules”. It can have harsher penalties than for a priest sodomizing choir boys. If you do not toe the line you are perhaps contumacious. If there in not enough cap doffing…
The pressure to publish and get good publication metric data is immense, perhaps stupidly so. I have yet to hear of criminal prosecutions for falsifying data. Though it is clearly criminally fraudulent to obtain research funding based on lies and “making shit up”. The temptation is there. Grant income bestows kudos and ensures “tenure”, if such a thing still exists. People find it hard not to blag and hype.
Today I have had a look on the internet for Ranga Dias. Since he left University of Rochester he has disappeared into the aether. There is a great deal of “pile on” for him and there is even glee-full hand rubbing at his fate. I do wonder if the pile on would have been less if he was a white establishment figure.
I suspect he may struggle to get high status employment in the West ever again.
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All “religions”, “parties” and “cults” have a form of shunning and excommunication whether that excommunication be occult or otherwise…
You don’t have to wear weird or groovy clothes.
Group mind uses excommunication to punish errancy and divergence…it demands compliance.
It is as old as the hills….
Dreamyoga 