Great science happens with an open mind. Authoritarianism ruins science. To avoid authoritarianism we must reject personality cults (narcissism). Authoritarian regimes heavily revolve around personality cults, especially Soviet Russia. A more nuanced and balanced approach is required where science itself is up to open debate and investigation.

Both sides of the Cold War were flawed. Lysenko and Lamarcke were outright rejected in the west due to politics and Darwinism. The east rejected genetics due to politics and personality cults. The picture we see is somewhere in the middle whereby we see epigenetic and traits and also genetics.

Here is an excerpt of what happened to scientists who questioned Lysenko in the Soviet Union:

Soviet scientists who refused to renounce genetics were dismissed from their posts and left destitute. Hundreds if not thousands of others were imprisoned. Several were sentenced to death as enemies of the state, including the botanist Nikolai Vavilov, whose sentence was commuted to prison.[9]

@Emilia It’s hard, especially in the times we live. They’re out there. Pray to God for meaningful friendships to come to you. I have prayed for you.

@Truth I personally know one of Ray Peat’s students. He told me that one student said during class that coffee is not healthy and that Peat drinks too much. Peat then asked his students to find all the papers they could that was pro and anti-coffee and they would review them together. There were two stacks of papers that they got to review by the end of the year, and still some students didn’t conclude coffee was healthy.

This is the open-minded spirit that Peat had, listening, examining, investigating, tolerating dissent, and having an open discussion. Such makes for good science.