Topic: UWO Prof Suggests Restricting Military Research

[milnews.ca]

I see - if somone else tells you to be careful about your research, that's "censorship" or "an attack on academic freedom", but if an ACADEMIC suggests the same, it's "being careful"?   

(University) Senator seeks closer military research scrutiny
Paul Mayne, Western News, 24 May 07
Article link

While appreciating recommendations regarding the ethics of military research at Western, professor Nick Dyer-Witheford says the proposal doesn't go far enough.

"The military are authorized to use deadly force which brings up ethical issues that this research may go towards the harassment or in fact the killing of someone," Dyer-Witheford, of the Faculty of Information and Media Studies, told Senate last week.

"We should not flinch in discussing such a delicate situation."

Earlier this month, Dyer-Witheford made a presentation to the University Research Board regarding military research at universities. Noting researchers have no control over how their research is used, he said limitations on academic freedom could be warranted and proposed establishing a practical means to review and approve projects with military application.

Given the absence of national or other comprehensive guidelines for the conduct of university research with potential military application, the board determined establishment of an ethical review body on campus to assess military and military-related research was premature.

The board recommended that any military and military-related research at Western be undertaken in an open manner where the subject matter and objectives of the research are known, and that Western Vice-President (Research & International Relations) Ted Hewitt undertake to raise awareness of issues associated with such research with his counterparts in Ontario and the G-13 group of universities.

[van Gemeren]

I can't image how many everyday products that we use everyday that were initially developed through defence research. I wonder what the engineering faculty members think that a professor from the media (journalism) department opposes part of their funding.

[xo31@711ret]

I can't image how many everyday products that we use everyday that were initially developed through defence research.....off the top of my head, I remember reading somewhere that teflon, internet were developed through defence research;  anyone know of anything else?

[ParaMedTech]

Toasters and microwaves ovens, too. Not to mention the thousands of health care items and procedures that were developed out of military necessity.

[E. Wright]

I can't image how many everyday products that we use everyday that were initially developed through defence research.....off the top of my head, I remember reading somewhere that teflon, internet were developed through defence research;  anyone know of anything else?

Yeah, the American military invented the internet in 1969. Called it the Arpanet, if I remember correctly.

[Rider Pride]

Obviously this professor (why are those who are educated occasionally the most ignorant?) is not a professor of history.

There is not one item in common use today that was not either invented for, nor improved with the purpose that it could be used in a military application.

[whiskey601]

IThe board recommended that any military and military-related research at Western be undertaken in an open manner where the subject matter and objectives of the research are known, and that Western Vice-President (Research & International Relations) Ted Hewitt undertake to raise awareness of issues associated with such research with his counterparts in Ontario and the G-13 group of universities.

How about they also make rules to ensure that any anti-military and anti-corporate research also be undertaken in an open manner where  researcher bias must be declared right from the start? 

[Zip]

When this Prof gets into a car accident he can thank military research for the Kevlar in his BMW's air bag, when he gets shot in Downtown Toronto he can thank military medicine when he survives, when he uses his Garmin to find the nearest Starbucks, wearing goretex...  the list goes on and on.

Not to mention the fact that when he complains about military research he can thank every single Canadian soldier from the time of Confederation to today that he is permitted to complain at all.

[Staff Weenie]

Isn't Western the same University that had the Prof who tried to prove that racial minorities were intellectually inferior.....and when the press dug into it, they found he was linked to White Supremacist groups from the US, and that most of his data was done by German scientists in the 1930's and 40's? Didn't they refuse to fire him because he had tenure? Can't see how they can complain about ethics now.....

Maybe we should move all those Fed Govt research funding $$$ elsewhere - I'm sure the Mighty Mac in Hamilton could use it!

[GAP]

As proven often, there is a lot of empty rhetoric from these types, but when it comes down to getting grants for research, guess who's first in line with their hands out....they will find a reason to justify the research, and if they don't, it wasn't a large enough grant for them to go after...

[Staff Weenie]

You know, I could see Universities demanding full disclosure from the CF on research goals if we had an extensive Bio-Weapons program. Or a govt with little to no ethics at all. But, as much as I'm not a fan of several Federal parties, I don't believe any of our politicians are that sick, and I've yet to meet a soldier who wants us to have/use chem or bio or nuke weapons.

Imagine though, being a geneticist and being hired to conduct specific research on certain genes, only to find out later that it was part of a greater program designed to produce a weapon of devastating power effective on a specific group of people. The old South African military had bio-weapons initiatives (failed - thank God!) that looked at means to develop pathogens to specifically target non-whites.

When you talk CBRN weapons, the issue can actually be relevant, just read about some of the ethical issues Robert Oppenheimer and company dealt with later.

That said, in Canada, what research are we doing that is so ethically compromised? This is just a dead-issue that another left-wing Prof has used to get media time, and earn his White Badge of Courage from his drinking buddies in the Faculty Club.

[Retired AF Guy]

I can't image how many everyday products that we use everyday that were initially developed through defence research. I wonder what the engineering faculty members think that a professor from the media (journalism) department opposes part of their funding.

There is a book out that actually does that - list all those modern appliances and products that were originally developed for military purposes. Can't remember the name unfortunately.

[E.R. Campbell]

Evidently Prof. Dyer-Witheford didn't get any grants or contracts from DND this year ... or in past years, most likely.

He's sick and tired of the best grad students going to work with profs who have big, interesting, well funded research projects and he's doing his best to level the playing field by trying to drag the productive researchers down to his level.

[milnews.ca]

(why are those who are educated occasionally the most ignorant?)

Good point.

A supplementary, based on my limited experience with academics:  Why are those who call themselves "liberal" occasionally the most dictatorial/totalitarian?

[Staff Weenie]

Because the intellectual elite believe that only they know what is best for you and I, the country, and the world in general. And, since I lack their academic insight, I cannot be trusted to come to the right solution on my own. Therefore, they must tell me that I am wrong, and make the moral decision for me.

The crux of their problem, is that while they truly believe the can see a Utopia, and their responsibility to point it out to us, they cannot comprehend how to get there, and have missed the fundamentals of human behaviour and its limiting effect upon their plans. Hence that fact that the true translation of Utopia.....is literally 'nowhere'.....in that it cannot exist.

I find far too many academics see the world in terms of black and white issues, and posit simple solutions to complex issues: world messed up - America bad - anti-globalization the solution.

[Emenince Grise]

When this Prof gets into a car accident he can thank military research for the Kevlar in his BMW's air bag, when he gets shot in Downtown Toronto he can thank military medicine when he survives, when he uses his Garmin to find the nearest Starbucks, wearing goretex...  the list goes on and on.

Pennicillin was horrendously expensive and difficult to refine until industrial level production was perfected in WW2. For defense purposes.

[Spencer100]

Staff Weenie,  I like your take on this.  You make a very good case.  +1

[niner domestic]

This subject/argument has been going around the Universities for a number of years now.  U of T presented their views on it in 2004. http://www.utoronto.ca/news/2005/06/research_funding_from_military.html, RMC's report from 2005: http://www.rmc.ca/academic/grad/comreptiii05/index_e.html, U of Calgary in 2001: http://www.ucalgary.ca/uofc/research/documents/ir_plan.pdf and so on... once again a professor is attempting to state the obvious to cover up that they are simply late for the party (my view on Attaran as well). 

Perhaps DRDC should reevaluate their criteria for which institution is eligible for funding. Back in 2002, RMC was ranked second out of 23 smaller universities for their research, maybe RMC should be doing more and the institutions that are doing the gift horse in the mouth rhetoric should have less. http://www.forces.gc.ca/site/newsroom/view_news_e.asp?id=480  hmmm...

[Technoviking]

Isn't Western the same University that had the Prof who tried to prove that racial minorities were intellectually inferior.....and when the press dug into it, they found he was linked to White Supremacist groups from the US, and that most of his data was done by German scientists in the 1930's and 40's? Didn't they refuse to fire him because he had tenure? Can't see how they can complain about ethics now.....

Maybe we should move all those Fed Govt research funding $$$ elsewhere - I'm sure the Mighty Mac in Hamilton could use it!

That's not exactly what happened.  Professor Rushton found empirical evidence to suggest that brain sizes in various ethnic groups were different.  Any subjective conclusions that came from this probably originated from both the far left (ignoring the science, screamed that this prof was a racist) and the far right (ignoring science completely, tried to justify their so-called superiority.  Of course, they failed to notice that the brain sizes of caucasians wasn't the largest.)
It caused an uproar

See this site for info:  http://www.eugenics.net/papers/nolib.html

"Editing and voiceovers removed any mention of my qualification that the race differences I had identified were often quite small and could not be generalized to individuals.. "

He's still a prof at UWO.