AGAINST THE TIDE A Critical Review by Scientists of How Physics and Astronomy Get Done Martín López Corredoira & Carlos Castro Perelman (Eds.) Against the Tide Against the Tide. A Critical Review by Scientists of How Physics and Astronomy Get Done Copyright © 2008 Martín López Corredoira Free distribution of the electronic copy of this book is allowed. Paperback copy of the Universal Publ. version (with an extra chapter) at www.universal-publishers.com 2 López Corredoira & Castro Perelman (Eds.) CONTENTS FOREWORD, BY M. LÓPEZ CORREDOIRA AND C. CASTRO PERELMAN ....................................................5 CHALLENGING DOMINANT PHYSICS PARADIGMS, BY J. M. CAMPANARIO AND B. MARTIN.............9 UNDERSTANDING CHALLENGES .................................................................................................................................... 11 INVESTIGATING DISSENT IN PHYSICS ............................................................................................................................. 15 HOW TO MOUNT A CHALLENGE ..................................................................................................................................... 17 FUNDING ....................................................................................................................................................................... 17 PUBLISHING .................................................................................................................................................................. 18 SURVIVING ATTACK ...................................................................................................................................................... 20 CONCLUSION ................................................................................................................................................................ 21 THE GOLD EFFECT: ODYSSEY OF SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH, BY W. KUNDT............................................. 27 BECOMING A MEMBER OF THE SCIENTIFIC COMMUNITY ................................................................................................ 27 IDEAL WORKING CONDITIONS ....................................................................................................................................... 29 CONFLICTING OPINIONS , OR THE NIH EFFECT ............................................................................................................... 30 MY LIFE -LONG DIRECTORSHIP AT ERICE , WHICH LASTED TWO YEARS .......................................................................... 33 MISSING QUOTATIONS , OMITTED INVITATIONS , AND REJECTIONS BY ANONYMOUS REFEREES ...................................... 35 RELIABILITY OF FRONT -LINE PHYSICS , OR MY GROWING LIST OF ALTERNATIVES ......................................................... 36 UPS AND DOWNS ON INTERNATIONAL STAGES .............................................................................................................. 40 MY STRUGGLE WITH GINSPARG (ARXIV.ORG) AND THE ROAD TO CYBERIA: A SCIENTIFIC- GULAG IN CYBERSPACE, BY C. CASTRO PERELMAN .................................................................................... 43 THE TROUBLES BEGAN WITH THE NUCLEAR PHYSICS B JOURNAL . ............................................................................... 43 THE INSULTS , MULTILAYERED LIES AND THREATS FROM GINSPARG ............................................................................. 45 THE ANALYSIS OF THE MULTILAYERED LIES AND THREATS FROM GINSPARG ............................................................... 46 THE RESPONSE OF THE CTSPS TO GINSPARG 'S INSULTS , OFFENSES AND THREATS ....................................................... 47 I AM FULLY BLACKLISTED SINCE THE BEGINNINGS OF 2003.......................................................................................... 49 How I avoided Ginsparg's radar for a period of Time............................................................................................. 49 THE TRAPPINGS BEHIND THE BLACKMAIL OFFER FROM THE ARXIV .ORG ....................................................................... 50 LETTERS FROM THE CO -DIRECTOR OF CTSPS IN ATLANTA TO THE AR XIV .ORG ........................................................... 51 CONCLUSIONS : A CATCH -22 SITUATION WHEN CERN (G ENEVE , SWITZERLAND ) TERMINATES THEIR EXTERNAL PREPRINT SERVER FOR BLACKLISTED SCIENTISTS ......................................................................................................... 52 THE DIRE CONSEQUENCES OF BEING BLACKLISTED BY THE ARXIV .ORG AT CORNELL ..................................................53 UPDATES ...................................................................................................................................................................... 55 BASIC CAUSE OF CURRENT CORRUPTION IN AMERICAN SCIENCE, BY J. MARVIN HERNDON ...... 57 RECOMMENDATIONS FOR SYSTEMIC CHANGES IN FEDERAL GOVERNMENT PEER REVIEW : A CONTRAST TO CURRENT PROCEDURES SET FORTH IN THE OFFICE OF MANAGEMENT AND BUDGET ...................................................................... 59 Introduction............................................................................................................................................................. 59 Critique of Bulletin ................................................................................................................................................. 60 Recommendations for systemic changes in the administration of peer review....................................................... 61 Appendix................................................................................................................................................................. 62 THE STATE OF THE SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH IN ROMANIA, ITS CAUSES AND MEASURES TO BE ENFORCED TO REDRESS IT, BY M. APOSTOL ................................................................................................... 63 THE STATE .................................................................................................................................................................... 63 THE CAUSES .................................................................................................................................................................. 70 Research-production confusion............................................................................................................................... 70 Technological transfer............................................................................................................................................. 71 Motivation............................................................................................................................................................... 72 The illegitimate status ............................................................................................................................................. 79 MEASURES .................................................................................................................................................................... 81 SCIENTIFIC AND POLITICAL ELITES IN WESTERN DEMOCRACIES, BY H. C. ARP............................... 85 EVOLUTION OF AN ELITE INTO AN OLIGARCHY ............................................................................................................. 85 EXAMPLES OF INTRINSIC REDSHIFTS AND NON BIG BANG COSMOLOGY ........................................................................ 86 CAN ACADEMIA REFORM ?............................................................................................................................................ 90 3 Against the Tide THE MEDIA ................................................................................................................................................................... 90 DEMOCRACY AND THE MEDIA ....................................................................................................................................... 91 PROBLEMS WITH DIRECTORS , CHAIRPERSONS AND CEO' S ............................................................................................ 92 THE BELIEFS OF SOCIETY .............................................................................................................................................. 93 PEER PRESSURE AND PARADIGMS, BY T. VAN FLANDERN.......................................................................... 95 A NOTE ABOUT SCIENTIFIC PEER PRESSURE .................................................................................................................. 95 PARADIGM CHANGE ...................................................................................................................................................... 97 THE VALUE OF EXTRAORDINARY HYPOTHESES ............................................................................................................. 98 CATASTROPHE THEORY .............................................................................................................................................. 100 SCIENTIFIC ARROGANCE ............................................................................................................................................. 101 THE INTRINSIC VALUE OF DEDUCTIVE THEORIES ......................................................................................................... 102 WHAT DO ASTROPHYSICS AND