[FRIAM] Science Commits Suicide

[Jon Zingale]

Dave, Nick, Jochen, et al.

For those not already familiar with the Eric Weinstein *Portal*
podcast, there is a really great episode with Eric's brother Bret
<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JLb5hZLw44s>.
Bret is an evolutionary theorist (and biologist) who became the
center of a fairly interesting controversy at Evergreen a couple
of years ago. While that story is interesting in its own right, as it
has to do *cancel** culture* and the topics DeDeo and Rutt were
discussing at Oxford, the podcast goes on to discuss how
counter to its stated goals institutionalized science can be.
Eric puts the narrative in terms of a *Distributed Idea Suppression*
*Complex,* a theme he revisits with many of his podcast guests.
Eric himself is no slouch. He is a mathematician whose focus
is gauge field theory and now finds applications to finance.

Especially interesting in Bret's story is the uncoverings/speculations
around corruption which does/can exist in the peer-review process.
Contrast this with the tremendously naive, and much more nationally
syndicated, perspective of the new Daily Show host, Trevor Noah
<https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=841&v=a7wf1pQmzY8&feature=emb_logo&t=840s>
.
Here he is arguing that "*People shouldn't be able to put out studies*
*before they've been verified*". Before this statement and after he
makes some ambiguous gestures at the necessity of peer-review in
the truth making process. To my mind, he misses an understanding
of the value of preprints and the pitfalls expressed by Eric and Bret.
OTOH, he is a comedian.

Jon
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