Scientific Controversy Research Articles

А. Н. Веселовский и научная полемика о генезисе героической эпопеи

Introduction. The article analyzes attitudes of the outstanding Russian scholar Alexander N. Veselovsky (1838–1906) towards the scientific controversy to have arisen in the early 19th century around the theory of origin of heroic epic. Goals. The breadth of academic expertise and sophisticated methodologies made A. N. Veselovsky a recognized leading scientist of his era both in Russia and worldwide. Distinguished by spacious mind and fluency in multiple languages, he would fearlessly tackle textual experiments, skillfully use tools of different scientific schools, spontaneously work in interdisciplinary space to surprise colleagues with bright though not always appreciated hypotheses. So, the article aims at revealing foundations of A. N. Veselovsky’s theory of origin of heroic epic, clarifying whether it was further accepted by scientific community, specifying which scientists came to similar conclusions, and adjusting the perception of A. N. Veselovsky’s theory. Materials and methods. The study provides an insight into scientific heritage of the scholar with the aid of textual, retrospective methods, and that of historical comments. Results. The article concludes as to the significance of that scientific discussion in an attempt to identify common patterns and its place in A. N. Veselovsky’s historical poetics in general.

The monograph by D. Y. Samokvasov “Ancient towns of Russia” (1873) in the light of criticism of F. I. Leontovich

The purpose of the article: to analyze the scientific controversy between F. Leontovich and D. Samokvasov, which arose on the monograph of D. Samokvasov “Ancient cities of Russia” (St. Petersburg, 1873). Research methods: analytical, historical, biographical, problematic-historiographic, descriptive. Main results: the beginning of the scientific controversy between D. Samokvasov and F. Leontovich, which arose over D. Samokvasov’s monograph “Ancient Cities of Russia” (St. Petersburg, 1873), was laid by a review written by F. Leontovich. According to the reviewer, D. Samokvasov’s doctrine of the historical development of the concept of the city was marked by confusion of concepts and definitions. F. Leontovych considered the author’s position on the historical origin and role of ancient Russian positions to be based on incorrectly interpreted historical evidence. Among the reasons he named complete ignorance of historical facts or simple disregard of them. The reviewer considered the first chapter of the monograph devoted to determining the number of towns in Ancient Russia the best part of the work, but, in his opinion, the author stopped halfway, he did not explain exactly what these cities were – simple fortifications or fortified points of people’s settlement. D. Samokvasov’s own views on the time of the initial emergence of cities and on the historical development of popular settlements in Russia, considered in the second chapter of the monograph, without exception, generated, as F. Leontovich believed, doubts, misunderstandings and controversial points. The reviewer did not agree with the author’s statement that the city was a center of community unity, and that with its appearance began a transitional period between the forms of patrimonial way of life and community-state life. The main thesis proposed by D. Samokvasov’s theory that in the pre-Moscow period in Russia urban life prevailed everywhere, and rural began to prevail only in the 16th century, F. Leontovich declared to be based only on questionable or misunderstood historical evidences. In addition to criticism of the main provisions of D. Samokvasov’s conceptual scheme, the reviewer presented his own understanding of this topic. In response to the review by F. Leontovich, D. Samokvasov did not agree with his criticism. He stated that the reviewer had neglected the true content of the monograph and therefore could hardly write a thorough, useful scientific review. D. Samokvasov believed that his research deserved a more thorough study and more serious and just estimation. In his reply to D. Samokvasov F. Leontovich criticized his polemic tricks and did not reject any of his critical remarks. The original continuation of this scientific discussion was the monograph by D. Samokvasov “Severian Land and Severians on the Towns and Burial Grounds”, published in 1908. After thirty years the researcher categorically declared that it is impossible to refute fundamentally the conclusions of his theory, because they are based on irrefutable factual material. D. Samokvasov called the scientific theory of his opponents unsubstantiated. Practical significance: the received results can be used in training courses and generalizing works on the history of Ukraine and its historiography, especially on the historiography and history of the ancient Russian city. Originality: scientific polemic between F. Leontovich and D. Samokvasov concerning the monography “Ancient cities of Russia” is systemized and analyzed. Scientific novelty: the scientific polemic between F. Leontovich and D. Samokvasov concerning the monography “Ancient cities of Russia” is thoroughly and as much as possible comprehensively opened and analyzed. Type of article: research.

Hybrid Knowledge and the Historiography of Science

Originating in the field of biology, the concept of the hybrid has proved to be influential and effective in historical studies, too. Until now, however, the idea of hybrid knowledge has not been fully explored in the historiography of pre-modern science. This article examines the history of pre-Copernican astronomy and focuses on three case studies—Alexandria in the second century CE; Baghdad in the ninth century; and Constantinople in the fourteenth century—in which hybridization played a crucial role in the development of astronomical knowledge and in philosophical controversies about the status of astronomy and astrology in scholarly and/or institutional settings. By establishing a comparative framework, this analysis of hybrid knowledge highlights different facets of hybridization and shows how processes of hybridization shaped scientific controversies.

Переддень і початок німецько-радянської війни в дослідженнях істориків зарубіжжя

The article is dedicated to the key issues of the run-up and beginning of the first period of the German-Soviet war, which are reflected in foreign historiography. The authors of the publication tried historically reconstruct the events that preceded Nazi Germany’s attack on the USSR, the military confrontation on the Soviet-German battlefield from June 22 to December 1941 based on the most famous works of researchers from neighboring countries and beyond.The publication attempts to cover a wide range of problems: secret diplomacy, political maneuvers of the USSR and Germany in advance of the war, strategic plans of the Workers’ and Peasants’ Red Army and the Wehrmacht, the course of military operations on the Eastern Front in the summer and winter of 1941.The authors of the publication mainly focus on documents and materials belonging to direct participants of the events, well-known scholars and politicians. The facts and analysis of historical events presented by them cannot remain outside the scientific controversy. The geopolitical plans of the Nazis, who posed a threat to the entire world civilization, seem impressive.The article refutes most of the assessments and key conclusions from the times of Soviet historiography. Important historical sources included in the scientific discourse deny the conceptual issues of the Soviet historical narrative about the nature of international relations on the run-up of the war and the initial period of the war with Nazi Germany. The authors explain their critical attitude to the publications of the post-Soviet era, which, first, do not pass the source test, and second, do not meet the principles of humanism, democracy and tolerance, which are inherent in the ideas of the 21st century.To obtain unbiased results and conclusions, the authors of the publication relied on various methods of scientific research: content analysis, synthesis, historical-comparative, historical-chronological, critical and comparative analyses.The authors believe that this publication is not only of scientific and cognitive interest, but provides a deep understanding of the lessons of the past war, which are important for the current security of the Ukrainian state and formation of patriotic consciousness of society, unbiased evolvement of its historical memory. The presented results of research in foreign historiography are a strong argument for modern Ukrainian discourse.The main visions of the authors meet the consolidation of the current scientific trend of Ukraine — glorification of the significant role of the Ukrainian people in the victory over Nazi.

Kazimir Malevich in Avant-Garde Discussions in 1928–1930

The article is devoted to the figure of Kazimir Malevich as an artist and art critic, who introduced new tendencies and approaches to the depiction of objects into traditional art; representation of the artist in avant-garde discussions in the period of his teaching at the Kyiv Art Institute in 1928–1930; searches and experiments of the artist, which were closely connected with the feeling of modernity and new impulses in culture. Malevich’s activity on creation of a unique history of art of Modernism is revealed. It is shown that the scientific controversy between artists over traditional approaches and pictorial methods acted as a catalyst for the development of a new direction in modern art. Discussions between Kazimir Malevich and Mykhailo Boichuk became fundamental for an artistic discussion which continues among contemporary artists and art critics. The artist based his work on objectlessness, which became a method of interpreting art. In this way, he shifted the emphasis from defining the content to defining the form, the very essence of art. Being a theorist, Kazimir Malevich discovered the patterns of development of art form, explaining the importance and sequence of emergence of each new direction: Suprematism, Cubism, Cubofuturism. Artistic discussions with contemporaries were of great importance. Malevich’s ideas continued to spread thanks to students and like-minded people who developed them and developed new approaches to painting techniques. The experience embodied by the artist at the Kyiv Art Institute showed the peculiarity of the artistic space that was formed in Kyiv in the late 1920s. Kazimir Malevich’s ideas are a promising scientific research for both historians and art historians as they show new facets of the avant-garde style.

B.P. Hasdeu – hypostasis of the “Romanian specialist”

The purpose of any specialist, regardless of the sphere approached, is to serve the aspirations of scientific and cultural development of his people. However, in the broad process of searching for scientific truth, the possibility seen by some scientists to achieve this goal is scientific controversy, often manifested in a harsh duel of words. This article aims at confronting some of the most representative figures of Romanian linguistics, a confrontation developed in the realm of ideas. Using weapons such as stinging irony, humor and sarcasm, Alexandru Philippide outlines a new hypostasis of the “Romanian specialist”, this time materialized in the person of Bogdan Petriceicu Hasdeu.

When Is Scientific Dissent Epistemically Inappropriate?

Normatively inappropriate scientific dissent prevents warranted closure of scientific controversies and confuses the public about the state of policy-relevant science, such as anthropogenic climate change. Against recent criticism by de Melo-Martín and Intemann of the viability of any conception of normatively inappropriate dissent, I identify three conditions for normatively inappropriate dissent: its generation process is politically illegitimate, it imposes an unjust distribution of inductive risks, and it adopts evidential thresholds outside an accepted range. I supplement these conditions with an inference-to-the-best-explanation account of knowledge-based consensus and dissent to allow policy makers to reliably identify unreliable scientific dissent.

A Comprehensive Economic Examination and Prospects on Innovation in New Grapevine Varieties Dealing with Global Warming and Fungal Diseases

The present study focuses on the assessment of the development perspectives of the new grape varieties that are resistant to fungal diseases and thus promote the reduction or the suppression of phytosanitary treatments. The study also discusses new grape varieties dealing with global warming. Our methods rely on direct surveys with researchers and stakeholders completed with a synthesis of the scientific literature and edited research programs. This approach proposes an explanatory and a comprehensive investigation. It includes an overview of the current state of the art of the supply of technology, the presentation of the strategies of the main actors and stakeholders involved in the innovation chain, a synthesis of the current scientific and technical controversies, and an analysis of the influence of the institutions and legislation. Furthermore, we provide an evaluation of the previous research program on new grape varieties of the French National Institute for Research in Agronomy (INRA) and of the outcome of the diffusion of new grape varieties implemented in the south of France. This analysis will allow us to discuss the conditions for the success of this innovation as a competitiveness factor.

Algorithmic Surveillance and the Political Life of Error

Concerns with errors, mistakes, and inaccuracies have shaped political debates about what technologies do, where and how certain technologies can be used, and for which purposes. However, error has received scant attention in the emerging field of ignorance studies. In this article, we analyze how errors have been mobilized in scientific and public controversies over surveillance technologies. In juxtaposing nineteenth-century debates about the errors of biometric technologies for policing and surveillance to current criticisms of facial recognition systems, we trace a transformation of error and its political life. We argue that the modern preoccupation with error and the intellectual habits inculcated to eliminate or tame it have been transformed with machine learning. Machine learning algorithms do not eliminate or tame error, but they optimize it. Therefore, despite reports by digital rights activists, civil liberties organizations, and academics highlighting algorithmic bias and error, facial recognition systems have continued to be rolled out. Drawing on a landmark legal case around facial recognition in the UK, we show how optimizing error also remakes the conditions for a critique of surveillance. This article is part of a special issue entitled “Histories of Ignorance,” edited by Lukas M. Verburgt and Peter Burke.

A Spheroid Model of Early and Late-Stage Osteosarcoma Mimicking the Divergent Relationship between Tumor Elimination and Bone Regeneration.

Osteosarcoma is the most diagnosed bone tumor in children. The use of tissue engineering strategies after malignant tumor resection remains a subject of scientific controversy. As a result, there is limited research that focuses on bone regeneration postresection, which is further compromised following chemotherapy. This study aims to develop the first co-culture spheroid model for osteosarcoma, to understand the divergent relationship between tumor elimination and bone regeneration. By manipulating the ratio of stromal to osteosarcoma cells the modelled cancer state (early/late) is modified, as is evident by the increased tumor growth rates and an upregulation of a panel of well-established osteosarcoma prognostic genes. Validation of the authors' model is conducted by analyzing its ability to mimic the cytotoxic effects of the FDA-approved chemotherapeutic Doxorubicin. Next, the model is used to investigate what effect osteogenic supplements have, if any, on tumor growth. When their model is treated with osteogenic supplements, there is a stimulatory effect on the surrounding stromal cells. However, when treated with chemotherapeutics this stimulatory effect is significantly diminished. Together, the results of this study present a novel multicellular model of osteosarcoma and provide a unique platform for screening potential therapeutic options for osteosarcoma before conducting in vivo experiments.

Rudolf Weisker’s anatomical and developmental wax models: New evidence and contexts concerning his career and sources

Abstract The institute for wax modelling founded in Leipzig by Rudolf Weisker (1845–1887) can be considered an important competitor to the earlier established and more successful producers of nineteenth-century developmental and anatomical wax models, Adolf and Friedrich Ziegler. This article establishes previously unknown aspects relating to Weisker, his background and sources. It examines why models from these producers were collected by universities and university-affiliated museums, and considers important differences affecting the production and ‘status’ of their models. It argues that Weisker’s career and models exemplify the impact of increasing specialization, as well as scientific controversies, during the second half of the nineteenth century, concerning scientific practice, publishing (both two- and three-dimensional) and collecting. It suggests that one reason Weisker was unable to thrive in competition with the Zieglers was that the emphasis of developmental models, especially, moved from illustrative to analytical during this period; Weisker, for reasons suggested here, was unable to respond to these changes.

Genuine versus bogus scientific controversies: the case of statins.

Science progresses through debate and disagreement, and scientific controversies play a crucial role in the growth of scientific knowledge. However, not all controversies and disagreements are progressive in science. Sometimes, controversies can be pseudoscientific; in fact, bogus controversies, and what seem like genuine scientific disagreements, can be a distortion of science set up by non-scientific actors (e.g., interest groups). Bogus controversies are detrimental to science because they can hinder scientific progress and eventually bias science-based decisions. The first goal of this paper is to elucidate the distinction between bogus and genuine scientific controversies and provide a qualitative methodology, based on the literature on expertise, for distinguishing between the two. We will illustrate six epistemic criteria for distinguishing bogus from genuine scientific debates in science and medicine. This heuristic strategy applies directly to scientific reports, and it relies mostly on the social structure of science. We will then apply the above criteria to a case study: the controversy over statins, which are widely prescribed drugs for reducing the level of cholesterol and preventing cardiovascular disease.

Putting the Pieces Together: the Hair Cell Transduction Complex.

Identification of the components of the mechanosensory transduction complex in hair cells has been a major research interest for many auditory and vestibular scientists and has attracted attention from outside the field. The past two decades have witnessed a number of significant advances with emergence of compelling evidence implicating at least a dozen distinct molecular components of the transduction machinery. Yet, how the pieces of this ensemble fit together and function in harmony to enable the senses of hearing and balance has not been clarified. The goal of this review is to summarize a 2021 symposium presented at the annual mid-winter meeting of the Association for Research in Otolaryngology. The symposium brought together the latest insights from within and beyond the field to examine individual components of the transduction complex and how these elements interact at molecular, structural, and biophysical levels to gate mechanosensitive channels and initiate sensory transduction in the inner ear. The review includes a brief historical background to set the stage for topics to follow that focus on structure, properties, and interactions of proteins such as CDH23, PCDH15, LHFPL5, TMIE, TMC1/2, and CIB2/3. We aim to present the diversity of ideas in this field and highlight emerging theories and concepts. This review will not only provide readers with a deeper appreciation of the components of the transduction apparatus and how they function together, but also bring to light areas of broad agreement, areas of scientific controversy, and opportunities for future scientific discovery.

Alcohol, cardiovascular disease and industry funding: A co-authorship network analysis of systematic reviews

BackgroundAlcohol's effects on heart health is the site of a major scientific controversy. We conducted a co-authorship network analysis of systematic reviews on the impacts on alcohol on cardiovascular disease (CVD) in order to investigate patterns of co-authorship in the literature, with particular attention given to industry funding. MethodsWe used Epistemonikos to identify systematic reviews. Review characteristics, influential authors, co-authorship subnetworks, prior histories of alcohol industry funding, study outcomes and citations were investigated. Results60 systematic reviews with 231 unique authors met our inclusion criteria. 14 systematic reviews were undertaken by authors with histories of alcohol industry funding, including 5 that were funded directly by the alcohol industry itself. All 14 such reviews identified a cardioprotective effect of alcohol. These formed distinct co-authorship subnetworks within the literature. Of reviews by authors with no prior histories of alcohol industry funding, the findings were mixed, with 54% (25/46) concluding there was evidence of health protective effects. These two groups of reviews differed in other respects. Those with industry funding were more likely to study broader outcomes such as ‘cardiovascular disease’ or ‘coronary heart disease’ as opposed to specific CVD issues such as hypertension or stroke (93% [13/14] versus 41% [19/46]) (chi-squared 12.4, p < 0.001) and have more included studies (mean of 29 versus 20). They were also more widely cited by others. Over time the proportions of systematic reviews on CVD and alcohol undertaken by authors with no prior histories of alcohol industry funding has increased. ConclusionsSystematic reviews undertaken by authors with histories of alcohol industry funding were more likely to study broader outcomes, and be cited more widely, and exclusively reported favorable conclusions.

The legal challenges to the diagnosis of shaken baby syndrome or how to counter 12 common fake news.

The shaken baby syndrome (SBS) is a common cause of severe traumatic lesions in infants. Although well established for almost five decades, SBS and its diagnosis are becoming more and more aggressively challenged in courts. These challenges feed on the scientific debate and controversies regarding the pathophysiology and the differential diagnoses, scientific uncertainty being readily exploited by specialized barristers. In the present review, we analyze the most common challenges to the concept of SBS and its diagnosis, as well as the scientific evidence available to counter these challenges, the differential diagnoses, and how SBS can be diagnosed with confidence. We found that the pathophysiology of SBS is well documented, with stereotyped descriptions by perpetrators, in good correlation with experimental studies and computer models. SBS is a well-defined clinico-pathological entity with a characteristic constellation of lesions; with a rigorous evaluation protocol, its diagnosis can be made rapidly and with excellent accuracy beyond a reasonable doubt. It is important that medical experts master an extensive knowledge regarding the pathophysiology of the lesions of SBS, in particular infantile subdural hematomas, as well as other CSF-related conditions. This emphasizes the role that pediatric neurosurgeons should play in the clinical and medicolegal management of these patients.

Ethics of Belief, Trust and Epistemic Value: The Case of the Scientific Controversy Surrounding the Measles Vaccine

An anxious belief that the vaccine against measles may cause autism in children has circulated since 1998. This belief has resulted in a worldwide reduction of vaccination coverage. Between 1998 and 2004, the scientific community was engaged in an intense debate over proof of vaccine safety. The question is then to examine the justification and the acceptance of this anxious belief by scientists, journalists, and parents. What are the epistemic obligations of individuals when scientific evidence is lacking? Therefore, the ethics of belief will be questioned through a contemporary socio-historical case study because it permits the examination of belief, knowledge and confidence mechanisms, and the attribution of epistemic values when it is difficult to produce indisputable evidence.

Multiple discoveries, inevitability, and scientific realism

When two or more (groups of) researchers independently investigating the same domain arrive at the same result, a multiple discovery occurs. The pervasiveness of multiple discoveries in science suggests the intuition that they are in some sense inevitable—that one should view them as results that force themselves upon us, so to speak. We argue that, despite the intuitive force of such an “inevitabilist insight,” one should reject it. More specifically, we distinguish two facets of the insight and argue that: (a) the profusion of multiple discoveries in scientific practice does not support the inevitabilist side of the inevitability/contingency of science controversy; and (b) the crucial role of background knowledge in scientific inquiry complicates the attempt to interpret the pervasiveness of multiple discoveries in realist terms.

Journalistic Independence and Public Funds: Institutional Social Communication as a Distortion of Competition in the Information Market

This research focuses on the scientific and journalistic controversies about the effects of the budget that the Spanish administration uses for institutional social communication through the media, as a potential distortion for fair competitiveness in the journalistic market. We expose the problem and then review the discourses about this phenomenon in both the academic literature and mainstream newspapers. When we compare the coverage made by traditional newspapers and the native digital media, we identify a lack of attention both in established mainstream journalism and in academic research, in contrast with the strong criticism within these recently created digital newspapers. This observation converges with the fact that the mainstream press receives much more funding from regional and national governments, becoming much more dependent on the administration.

Classificatory disputes and scientific controversies: society, nature, and culture in the Anthropocene

In general, the idea of Anthropocene refers to the set of socio-historical, ecological, economic, and technological transformations responsible for configuring a new stage of regulation and evolution of the planetary geological system. From its original proposition in the 2000s, this notion gained increasing repercussion, mobilizing different positions in multiple fields of scientific knowledge. This article aims to develop a critical analysis of some of the main concepts found in such debates, from the mobilization of three fundamental analytical categories: the concepts of Society, Nature, and Culture. In methodological terms, this is a literature review article based on qualitative and non-systematic bibliographic research. The analysis undertaken here indicates how the different approaches mobilized by the driving idea of Anthropocene result in theoretical movements that redefine the relationships between agency, structure, and social change in the historical context of modern industrial societies.

COVID-19 vaccine misinformation and its effect on human psychology

Digital media, while opening a vast array of avenues for lay people to effectively engage with news, information and debates about important science and health issues, have become a fertile land for various stakeholders to spread misinformation and disinformation, stimulate uncivil discussions and engender ill-informed, dangerous public decisions. Recent developments of the Covid-19 infodemic might just be the tipping point of a process that has been long simmering in controversial areas of health and science (e.g., climate-change denial, anti-vaccination, anti-5G, Flat Earth doctrines). We bring together a wide range of fresh data and perspectives from four continents to help media scholars, journalists, science communicators , scientists, health professionals and policy-makers to better undersand these developments and what can be done to mitigate their impacts on public engagement with health and science controversies.