Speakers Discuss Science as Aspect Of Power Structure

Scientific research is a reflection of the existing social order, three speakers told a Med School audience at a panel on the politics of research last night.

"The intelligentsia continues to serve as a secular priesthood performing functions for the powerful," Noam Chomsky, professor of Linguistics at MIT, said at the panel, which was sponsored by the magazine Science for the People. He was opposing what he called the liberal theory of a post-industrial society where power is associated with knowledge.

"The whole concept of the post-industrial society is a fraud," Chomsky said. "Power is right where it always was--with ownership."

"The ideas produced by intellectuals and scientists are those supported by the ruling class." Steven Chorover, professor of Psychology at MIT and one of the three speakers, told the 70 people in the audience.

Rita Arditti, professor of Biology and Genetics at the Union Graduate School, cited the "ideology of birth control" as an example of the political content of scientific research.

About 85 per cent of the money and energy going into contraceptive research is dedicated to research on contraception for women, she said. "Everyone thinks this is the natural thing to do because this is what's being done," she said. "But males are really the ideal target for contraception."

"The research is being done by white males on Third World women and poor women for maintenance of the status quo." She said.

Chomsky said that "those subjected to research are those who are not capable of defending themselves from it, while those who are powerful are capable of defending themselves and are immune from investigation."

He used as an example the study of U.S. foreign policy, where he said only literature that totally ignores the major factors--such as corporations--is considered to be "respectable literature."