From: tjfeue@bb1t.monsanto.com
Newsgroups: sci.research,sci.research.careers
Subject: Re: Dr. Fabrikant and honesty in science
Date: 27 Aug 92 19:28:22 GMT
Organization: Monsanto Company, St. Louis, MO

In article <16337@ucdavis.ucdavis.edu>, JRBANGA@poppy.ucdavis.edu (JULIO RODRIGUEZ BANGA) writes:
> 
>  I can't believe it. I read Dr Fabrikant's postings yesterday. Last night,
> while having dinner, I saw in the News what we already know it happened. At 
> first, I thought he could be other scientist, but this morning I've 
> discovered he wasn't.
> 
>  So I guess that Dr Fabrikant, a well known and outstanding researcher, is
> going to jail for killing two of his colleagues. I don't have enough data to 
> be sure if everything in Dr. Fabrikant's postings was true. 

He was ranting like a lunatic.  Much of what he said may have been 
the exaggerations of a paranoid.  Consider his argument that some people
had been co-authors on his papers and didn't even know what the paper
was about.  *I* have been co-author of a few papers that *I* didn't even
know about.  I was asked for help in a problem and contributed (presumably
to the author) enough to be included as an "et al".  If you found some of
those papers and asked me about them, I'd probably give you serously
blank looks.  Maybe he did the same thing and then in his paranoia
"forgot" about why and it simply strengthened his delusion.  Even if
everything was true, it doesn't justify cold blooded murder.  Besides, 
he didn't even get the people that he was complaining about.  I don't 
think that he really cared.  My mother is a Clinical Psycologist and
I intend to send her all the material for review.  Facinating stuff.

However, just because you're paranoid...  Doesn't mean that they're
not out to get you.  ;-)  

> However, I must 
> say that the description he gave of his bosses is quite familiar to me (though
>  I have NOT suffered a situation like that myself) and, I think, for many 
> scientists around the world.

Although I have also seen "slave labor" in academia, my personal feeling is
that if someone doesn't like how they are treated, go somewhere else rather
than giving the perpertrator positive reenforcement by staying and working
for them.  I have a very low tolerance for abuse.

>  That is, I have friends in certain universities who have suffered or are
> suffering exploitation of the same type as the one related by Dr. Fabrikant.
> How frequent is this situation? 

Probably very frequent.  Free labor is attractive to most people.

> What is happening to ethics in science? 

Who say's there ever was any?  ;-)

>  Peer review is supposed to assure a minimum of scientific level in
> publications. Maybe it's time that referees should also find out who is (are)
> the real author(s) of a paper before it is published.

Good idea.

>    Any comments?

Sad, sad story.

  TED FEUERBACH   Scientific Systems Consultant  Trilogy Consulting, Inc. 
  Lake St. Louis, MO        (314) 537-6603       tjfeue@bb1t.monsanto.com
  Disclaimer:  The opinions expressed herein are MY OWN and obviously not
  the opinions of Trilogy, Monsanto or either of my two ex-wives.           
Newsgroups: sci.research,sci.research.careers