Rise of EDI focus in UKRI grants ‘endangers R&D support’

This sentence is insanely wrong, especially if uttered by an academic: “studies conducted using classic research methods are likely to be more robust and provide greater impact than those explicitly grounded in social justice paradigms.” First, contrasting "classic research methods" with "social justice paradigms" makes no sense. The first is about epistemology, the second about normativity. It is undergrad-level knowledge. Second, there are perhaps 100 years of study on academic pluralism. Multiple paradigms and normative stances is THE HEALTHY NORM. Do they want to emulate China where the government police what can be published? If you set criteria for funding, you are effectively deciding who dies and who lives. Third, there are many issues with REF. But having a social impact is literally the point of doing research that can be translated into society (besides of course, base research). How do you study social matters... in a lab? With no normative goal? Unless you want people with a PhD believe the fable that 'economics' is a neutral field. Finally... you want to prevent Farage by... enacting preemptively the very policies he would implement?!? WHAT This whole article is deranged and utterly ignorant of how social sciences work.

Good piece from Eric here. Of course it will ruffle the feathers of the EDI mafia as we see but thse things have to be said! Well done Eric!!