A chapter of Friedrich Hayeks The Road to Serfdom is titled The End of Truth. We document that covid-related research papers by various authors were censored on the platforms Social Science Research Network (SSRN) and medRxiv. The censored papers are counter-narrative in the sense that their findings tended to run counter to certain narratives promoted by, for example, the New York Times. We provide accounts of having been censored by three sets of authors: (1) Jonas Herby, Lars Jonung, and Steve Hanke; (2) Vinay Prasad and coauthors; (3) Jay Bhattacharya and coauthors. We provide this account to call out SSRN and medRxiv. Their censorship during the covid pandemic is on the road to the end of truth, making relevant Hayeks forebodings. Also, we point to a website (Vicegerents.org) where scholars can help science reverse its wayward movements, by reporting their experiences of being censored by SSRN, medRxiv, or other preprint servers.
SSRN and medRxiv Censor Counter-Narrative Science
Also published in Econ Journal Watch Fri. September 1, 2023
Steve H. Hanke is a Senior Fellow at the Independent Institute and Professor of Applied Economics and Founder and Co-Director of the Institute for Applied Economics, Global Health, and the Study of Business Enterprise at Johns Hopkins University.
Jayanta Bhattacharya is a Professor of Medicine at Stanford University and co-author of the Great Barrington Declaration.
COVID-19Free SpeechGovernment and PoliticsGovernment PowerHealth and HealthcareLaw and LibertyPolitical Theory
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