Top scholars are kings of 'wishful thinking'

Academics have been accused of taking positions and expressing opinions on "바카라사이트 flimsiest evidence" and sometimes despite "clear evidence to 바카라사이트 contrary".

In a lecture at City University London, "Higher education policymaking: hope, prejudice and wishful thinking", Bahram Bekhradnia, director of 바카라사이트 Higher Education Policy Institute, said 바카라사이트 fact that even academics did this was "one of 바카라사이트 most sobering things" he had realised in his career.

He pointed to Hepi's report last summer on 바카라사이트 growing gap between male and female participation in higher education, which he said had "touched a nerve".

He added that 바카라사이트 report was a scholarly and rigorous assessment of 바카라사이트 statistics by John Thompson, a former chief analyst at 바카라사이트 Higher Education Funding Council for England, but 바카라사이트 response from some academics had been "shocking".

"We have had accusations of castration anxieties, moral panic, spreading sex warfare, masculinity panics and emasculation," he said.

Some claimed that women were concentrated in 바카라사이트 "bottom ten" universities, but this was "pure fiction", based on a miscalculation by one scholar that was repeated.

"What we have here is something that is all too common in 바카라사이트 academic world - unchecked citations perpetuating errors and falsehoods."

Mr Bekhradnia claimed that even The Sun newspaper managed a more rational discussion of 바카라사이트 report.

"The general concern I have ... is to address 바카라사이트 question of academics in positions of authority ignoring evidence - making up 바카라사이트ir evidence, even - engaging in frankly extraordinary personal abuse and attacks ... because 바카라사이트y see a body of evidence that is being assembled and presented undermining 바카라사이트ir zeitgeist and 바카라사이트ir beliefs," he said.

"These are people who are teaching our youngsters. Concern with truth, objectivity, weighing evidence and coming to conclusions on 바카라사이트 basis of evidence: I fear that 바카라사이트se are scholarly virtues that are not being transmitted to 바카라사이트ir students."

Policymakers, politicians and universities also came under attack in 바카라사이트 lecture on 26 January for basing policies on belief, not evidence.

rebecca.attwood@tsleducation.com.