Is Academia Really 'BROKEN'?

There have been a few videos lately proclaiming that academia is "BROKEN".

Though there are undoubtedly problems in academia, saying its broken is not only wrong, it's deeply cynical and damaging.

[RobMacLeod]

Excellent summary and motivation to seek a supportive place asn then follow our own path toward integrity. One could replace "academia" with just about every major element of society, e.g., sports, politics, religion, media, etc. and find both the same problems and sources of cynicism, but also a similar response: if we each find a supportive place and then contribute, we will help push in the right direction. At the mature end of my academic career, I am most proud of the mentoring I do and the atmosphere I try to create around me.

[archanadayal]

Very well said James! I guess being solution and action oriented no matter what situation we are in, always helps!

[rapamune]

I suppose social media propagate the use of sweeping statements, however, there is a certain degree of truth in some of the aspects to doing research.

[morganeua]

Yes! The Academy is just a bunch of individuals doing research. So, if you want to change the way it's done - then start with yourself! And if that is impossible because you are surrounded by toxic individuals, maybe it's time to take your research somewhere else.

[reticularmatias]

Let's analyze Campbell's law: The more any quantitative social indicator is used for social decision-making, the more subject it will be to corruption pressures and the more apt it will be to distort and corrupt the social processes it is intended to monitor.[1]

[salganik]

Many videos claim that academia is broken, but they are often dishonest and biased. Here’s why:
- They highlight studies with fake data but overlook that retracted publications makeup only 0.25% of all published work.
- They criticize the peer review system for not catching all bad research, ignoring that reviewers are unpaid and can’t be expected to reanalyze data fully.
- They express frustration that science isn’t producing groundbreaking results as frequently as in the past, failing to recognize that expecting endless exponential progress is unrealistic. Basic progress in many fields dates back 200 years (Cauchy, Ohm, etc.).