Academics have a duty to warn society about disasters before they happen
Where universities are judged by what they produce, perhaps we should also ask what their knowledge prevents and whether academics are prepared to warn society while mistakes can still be corrected.
Academics have a duty to warn society about disasters before they occur, according to a recent opinion piece. The writer argues that universities should be judged not just on their academic output, but also on their ability to prevent mistakes and crises. Preventing errors may be the most consequential thing that knowledge can do for society.
The piece highlights the importance of academics sounding the alarm when they have credible evidence that a major decision or intervention may be technically unsound or misguided. It questions whether remaining silent when one has such knowledge is neutral, and if so, at what cost. The writer argues that the more one knows about an avoidable public danger, the harder it becomes to justify remaining silent.
While the writer acknowledges that scholars can be wrong and that evidence may be incomplete or disputed, the obligation is not to claim certainty. Rather, the duty is to state honestly what the evidence supports, acknowledge remaining uncertainty, and consider what might prove one wrong. The article emphasizes that expertise should not become a permanent opposition to government or business, but rather a fidelity to evidence and the use of that evidence to challenge dangerous assumptions before they solidify into policy or practice.
The writer cautions that self-censorship can become a dangerous trend among academics, where the fear of damaging relationships or being labeled "difficult" leads to restraint in speaking out. However, the true failure lies when expertise becomes domesticated and increasingly unable to clearly state, "The evidence suggests we may be wrong."
A healthy society needs its experts to disagree honestly enough that weak assumptions are exposed before they become expensive realities. The purpose of the uncomfortable academic is not to embarrass the government, but to make error more difficult and to recognize what may happen tomorrow.
Written by urgent.news from Daily Maverick's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
