Science is for everyone

The Joe Rogan Experience podcast has sparked a discussion about the universal right to participate in scientific inquiry. The right to science is supported by international agreements such as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights. Science should be open to all, without discrimination, and intellectual property rights should protect creators. Open science aims to increase the sharing of scientific knowledge for the benefit of all. Debates about who can participate in science and what constitutes valid science should not override anyone's fundamental right to participate. The scientific community should review and affirm scientific work based on truthfulness and honesty, regardless of the author's identity. Anonymous peer review systems help ensure fairness and diversity in the scientific community. Citizen scientists can participate in research, but expertise in scientific fields should not be regulated or monop Science is for everyone. In recent episodes of the Joe Rogan Experience podcast, questions about the validity of expert knowledge, the criteria for good science, and institutional privilege to scientific research have been raised. Notably, episode 2171 with guests Eric Weinstein, an American scientist and mathematician, and Terrence Howard, an actor and inventor, drew millions of views and sparked hundreds of thousands of reactions and numerous response videos within a month. While participants, including host Joe Rogan, elicited a mix of ridicule and praise for their opinions, the broader discourse often overlooked one thing, the universal right to participate in scientific inquiry. This essay emphasizes the importance of acknowledging these rights, particularly highlighting the need for discussions on open science. By referencing principles from international agreements, it seeks to reframe science not as a privilege, but as a fundamental human right. However, this right does not come without responsibility and duty, specifically the responsibility to adhere to and promote the scientific method. Right to science. Every individual has a universal right to participate in cultural life in its broadest educational sense, including scientific endeavors, and to benefit from the advantages of public channels publishing activities, which are secured by intellectual property rights. This right is explicitly supported by Article 27 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which states, one, everyone has the right freely to participate in the cultural life of the community, to enjoy the arts, and to share in scientific advancement and its benefits. Two, everyone has the right to the protection of the moral and material interests resulting from any scientific, literary, or artistic production of which he is the author. Furthermore, the International Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights reinforces this right to participate and enjoy the intellectual benefits provided by science in Article 15. According to these articles, science must be open to all who wish to engage in it. The 18-member Committee on Rights in 2020 emphasizes in its general comment that participation in science should be inclusive, reflecting the broader concept of cultural rights, which encompasses all aspects of human existence, including the activity of science itself, not just as beneficiaries of scientific outcomes. This principle nullifies any attempt to restrict who can participate in science based on arbitrary or prejudiced criteria. Therefore, the right to participate in the contributions and activities of science is protected under international human rights law, which stresses non-discrimination. Intellectual property rights protect creations of the mind, such as literary and artistic works. However, discoveries, scientific theories, or mathematical methods cannot be patented according to Chapter 1, Section 1 of the Finnish Patent Act. UNESCO's recommendation on open science and researchers underscores the importance of inclusive scientific participation to advance common knowledge and develop societies, based on UDHR, Article 27. Open science aims to increase the sharing of scientific knowledge widely and openly for the benefit of all people everywhere, and to open the process of contributing to and building that knowledge. Debates within society on problematic issues, such as who is entitled to participate in science and what constitutes valid science, often relate to privileges, demarcation, marginalization, scientific applications, and responsibility. These debates, or the failure to have them, should not override anyone's fundamental right to participate in scientific activity as an inventor, producer, or applicator of knowledge, or scientific equipment, within the framework of societal and international laws. Discussions in open and closed forums about these problem areas cannot change the nature of this right, as presented in UDHR, Article 27. Societies, forums, governments, and committees that deny this right are acting against a better world. Restricting access to participation in science degrades global educational and cultural work. Responsibilities in science. The community should review and affirm scientific work, based primarily on the central scientific virtues of truthfulness and honesty. The scientific community relies on peer review as a tool to set standards for the validity and truthfulness of scientific work. This process should be based on the merits of the work, not the identity or past merits of the author. This process aims to ensure that scientific contributions are assessed fairly and objectively, maintaining the integrity of scientific research. The CESCR adds that knowledge should be considered as science only if it is based on critical inquiry and is open to falsifiability and testability. This applies not only to the hard sciences in STEM fields, but also to qualitative research areas. For instance, Finnish researcher Ari J. Turvashanka, a PhD in the theory history of science, addresses the replication crisis in fields like psychology through his theory of logical confirmation, which suggests that rigorous validation is achievable across all scientific disciplines. Science should be for everyone, but is everything science? The best evaluation systems to validate scientific knowledge enable bidirectional anonymous peer review for all researchers, regardless of age, skin color, race, gender, religious values, or societal status provided by education. Anonymous double-blind peer review systems that started to develop to their current form in the 1970s help ensure that scientific work is assessed fairly and without prejudice. This system allows both academic and citizen researchers to participate meaningfully, regardless of their background, fostering a more diverse and innovative scientific community. Citizens as scientists. A citizen scientist can be an independent researcher or alternatively, a person participating in research organized by a scientific entity, such as a data collector. However, no one can claim to be a scientific researcher without active participation and demonstration of study and work in a specific field. Cultural work and civic education, including the arts, social sciences, and natural sciences is a privilege organized for the citizens of a civilized society, not a lightly self-defined position. Academic institutions have been built over millennia to teach critical thinking, both generally and in specialized fields. Persistent study and final theses prepare experts with the best possible qualifications to assess and produce new knowledge in their field. However, study methods and knowledge are common property and belong to everyone. Therefore, academia cannot regulate or monopolize expertise in scientific fields. According to the CESCR, more than 170 signatory countries are indeed obliged to organize opportunities for their citizens to participate in scientific activities. Articles UDHR 27 and ICE SCR 15 encourage all those interested in scientific work to conduct independent research, study, and share their observations of the world for the world in the name of cultural and educational work. Scientific ethos begins with observation, documentation, and comparing research to known knowledge. The internet and artificial intelligence are tools that have created a unique opportunity for activities that were merely idealized at the time of the Human Rights Declaration 75 years ago. Moreover, engaging in environments where one can spar with others about their knowledge and skills creates good opportunities to contribute to a better, more functional civilization. It is each scientist's duty to uphold the scientific methods, basic principles, and criteria to foster the progressive improvement of knowledge. The assertion of the right to participate in science is critical in today's world, given the growing impact of science and technology on every aspect of our lives. From addressing global challenges like climate change to advancing personalized medicine, scientific progress shapes our future. Ensuring inclusive participation allows diverse perspectives and talents from various institutions and companies to contribute to solving these complex issues, ultimately benefiting humanity.