Page 7 - Biased Science

subjects of scientific research understand the ramifications of a
study—and be given the right to opt out if they choose to do so.
These may not sound like radical ideas. Yet often they have been
widely ignored, to the detriment of study participants—and to the

detriment of scientists and the scientific process as well.
Scientific fraud is another way in which science is not nearly
as focused on the truth as it may appear. There are often strong
pressures for scientists to find certain results in their research.
In particular, scientists may feel pushed to come up with certain
results based on political or financial criteria. In some cases these
considerations outweigh the goal of unbiased inquiry into a given
topic. Once again, the image of science as neutral and balanced
suffers. And racism and sexism still play a significant role in sci-
entific endeavors such as making medical diagnoses, developing
product designs, and creating algorithms to be used with artificial
intelligence.
Ideally, science would indeed be focused entirely on facts,
truth, and objectivity. But the reality is different. Science cannot
be separated from the human experience. As long as science is
a human endeavor, it will carry with it the biases of society. It is
always a good idea to examine scientific information carefully to
see where these biases may be hiding.

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