Word: nas
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Dates: during 1980-1989
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...same time it is viewed as an honorific organization. The Academy is divided into five classes: (I) Physical and Mathematical Sciences (II) Biological Sciences (III) Engineering and Applied Sciences (IV) Medical Sciences and (V) Behavioral and Social Sciences. The inclusion of the social sciences in the NAS is a relatively recent event, dating back only to 1971. Many people do not realize that the social sciences in the NAS is a relatively recent event, dating back only to 1971. Many people do not realize that the social sciences, and in particular sociology and political science, are part of the NAS...
...myself was recently elected to the NAS under recommendation of Class I, in 1985. I had not been in for one year when I received the ballots for election to the Academy in March 1986. These ballots, as usual, present members with choices grouped by Classes. A member must vote for a minimum number of candidates in each class to fulfill certain quotas, otherwise the entire ballot is invalid. Thus each member is forced to take responsibility for candidates in entirely different fields, about whom one has no information except for a list of publication and honors contained...
...society, the role of government, the role of education, the role of the press in informing the public, how information is processed (by the press, by individuals, by the educational system, by the government, etc.) In particular, I now have a direct responsibility for the political role of the NAS, which issues reports on scientific matters affecting political decisions. But the problems I deal with are invariant under"ism"transformations: they are in part problems of standards and accuracy, and the way political opinions are passed off as social "science." I developed the analysis on one concrete case...
...also raise questions about the certification process available in our society concerning the quality of what is produced the social "sciences" ("studies" would be a better word), journalism, education, and political discourse. The NAS plays some role in this certification process. I object to the NAS certifying as "science" what are merely political opinions and their implementations...
Academy members contacted yesterday declined todiscuss the specifics of the floor discussion, butone NAS member said that the heated debate overHuntington's candidacy has left "a little bit oftension" between Class V and the rest of theAcademy...