Prosocial motives underlie scientific censorship by scientists: A perspective and research agenda

Author:

Clark Cory J.12ORCID,Jussim Lee3,Frey Komi4,Stevens Sean T.4,al-Gharbi Musa5ORCID,Aquino Karl6ORCID,Bailey J. Michael7ORCID,Barbaro Nicole8,Baumeister Roy F.9ORCID,Bleske-Rechek April10ORCID,Buss David11ORCID,Ceci Stephen12ORCID,Del Giudice Marco13,Ditto Peter H.14,Forgas Joseph P.15,Geary David C.16ORCID,Geher Glenn17,Haider Sarah18,Honeycutt Nathan4ORCID,Joshi Hrishikesh19,Krylov Anna I.20,Loftus Elizabeth14ORCID,Loury Glenn21,Lu Louise22,Macy Michael2324ORCID,Martin Chris C.25,McWhorter John26,Miller Geoffrey27ORCID,Paresky Pamela28ORCID,Pinker Steven29ORCID,Reilly Wilfred30,Salmon Catherine31ORCID,Stewart-Williams Steve32ORCID,Tetlock Philip E.12,Williams Wendy M.12ORCID,Wilson Anne E.33ORCID,Winegard Bo M.34,Yancey George35ORCID,von Hippel William36ORCID

Affiliation:

1. School of Arts and Sciences, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 9104

2. The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 9104

3. Department of Psychology, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ 08854

4. Research Department, Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, Philadelphia, PA 19106

5. School of Communication and Journalism, Stony Brook University, Long Island, NY 11794

6. Marketing and Behavioral Science, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia V6T 1Z2, Canada

7. Department of Psychology, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208

8. Communications Department, Heterodox Academy, New York City, NY 10038

9. School of Psychology, University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia

10. Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, Eau Claire, WI 54702

11. Department of Psychology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78731

12. Department of Psychology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853

13. Department of Life Sciences, University of Trieste, Trieste 34128, Italy

14. Department of Psychological Science, University of California Irvine, California, CA 92697

15. School of Psychology, The University of New South Wales, Sydney NSW 2052, Australia

16. Department of Psychological Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 56211

17. Department of Psychology, State University of New York at New Paltz, New Paltz, NY 12561

18. Ex-Muslims of North America, Washington D.C.

19. University of Arizona, Department of Philosophy, Tucson, AZ 85721

20. Department of Chemistry, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089

21. Department of Economics, Brown University, Providence, RI 02912

22. Graduate School of Business, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305

23. Department of Sociology, Cornell University, Ithaca 14850, New York

24. Department of Information Science, Cornell University, Ithaca 14850, New York

25. Psychology Department, Oglethorpe University, Brookhaven, GA 30319

26. Center for American Studies, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027

27. Department of Psychology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM 87131

28. Network Contagion Research Institute, Princeton, NJ 08540

29. Department of Psychology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138

30. School of Criminal Justice and Political Science, Kentucky State University, Frankfort, KY 40601

31. Department of Psychology, University of Redlands, Redlands, CA 92373

32. School of Psychology, University of Nottingham Malaysia, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Semenyih 43500, Malaysia

33. Psychology Department, Wilfrid Laurier University, Waterloo, ON N2L3C5, Canada

34. Independent

35. Department of Sociology, Baylor University, Waco, TX 76798

36. Research with Impact, Brisbane, Queensland 4069, Australia

Abstract

Science is among humanity’s greatest achievements, yet scientific censorship is rarely studied empirically. We explore the social, psychological, and institutional causes and consequences of scientific censorship (defined as actions aimed at obstructing particular scientific ideas from reaching an audience for reasons other than low scientific quality). Popular narratives suggest that scientific censorship is driven by authoritarian officials with dark motives, such as dogmatism and intolerance. Our analysis suggests that scientific censorship is often driven by scientists, who are primarily motivated by self-protection, benevolence toward peer scholars, and prosocial concerns for the well-being of human social groups. This perspective helps explain both recent findings on scientific censorship and recent changes to scientific institutions, such as the use of harm-based criteria to evaluate research. We discuss unknowns surrounding the consequences of censorship and provide recommendations for improving transparency and accountability in scientific decision-making to enable the exploration of these unknowns. The benefits of censorship may sometimes outweigh costs. However, until costs and benefits are examined empirically, scholars on opposing sides of ongoing debates are left to quarrel based on competing values, assumptions, and intuitions.

Publisher

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences

Subject

Multidisciplinary

Reference130 articles.

1. Freedom of Expression Challenged: Scientists’ Perspectives on Hidden Forms of Suppression and Self-censorship

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4. Science must respect the dignity and rights of all humans

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