Author Archive: Glenn Reynolds

CONGRATULATIONS! (Thread).

C.S. LEWIS UNDERSTOOD THE “EDUCATED CLASS:”

THIS HAS BEEN COMING FOR A WHILE: Most Significant Scientific Retraction Ever? “The paper helped create and sustain the theory that amyloid protein buildups caused the symptoms of Alzheimer’s Disease and was one of a number of apparently fraudulent papers written by Sylvain Lesné, a professor at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities. . . . If the hypothesis that amyloid protein buildups cause Alzheimer’s symptoms is wrong, Lesné is responsible for perhaps billions of wasted research dollars and two decades of scientists following a false lead.”

That the paper is wrong is no crime. That it is fraudulent is a crime, and that upholders of the amyloid theory actively suppressed research and publication regarding other theories is arguably a bigger crime.

Plus: “There appear to be quite a number of sociopaths in the biological sciences if recent evidence is any guide, and very few checks and balances to control for this fact. . . . This is an age of scientific scandals. Science is now a multi-billion dollar industry, and one that gets far too little scrutiny. That has to change.” Every successful system accumulates parasites. The parasite load in the sciences may have become unsustainable.

ON THE ONE HAND, GOOD. ON THE OTHER HAND, WITH THIS ADMINISTRATION I CAN’T HELP BUT FEEL THAT IT’S PROBABLY JUST SOME KIND OF SHAKEDOWN OR POWER GRAB: U.S. to Open Broad Antitrust Probe Into AI Giants.

DO THE LETTERS “F O” MEAN ANYTHING TO YOU? Admiral McRaven to American people: “You need to shut up (except for me, of course).”

“McRaven claims that those who criticize government institutions “undermine America.” “Undermining America” is a serious charge. And when it comes from a four-star admiral who commanded the entire United States Special Operations Command, you can bet that it carries some clout among those who are wielding power. For these reasons, McRaven’s comments merit close scrutiny.”

Our entire ruling class has been peddling variations on this for the past 5 years or so, at the same time they were gleefully screwing up — dare I say undermining? — America in so many ways. They should be begging for forgiveness, or maybe a pardon, rather than issuing arrogant diktats.

Plus, from John Lucas: “There are countries that do not tolerate speech critical of the government and its institutions. There are countries where citizens who publicly disagree with the actions of the government and its institutions are condemned as disloyal citizens, investigated and tried. There are countries where people with political views that differ from those of the governing authorities are subject to governmental abuse and ruin just because of their political opinions. We have a name for these countries. They are totalitarian.”