Forward to the victory of shamanism! What the cessation of the fight against pseudoscience threatens Russia with

Social networks are discussing an event that actually happened at the end of last year, but for obvious reasons was not advertised: the Academy of Sciences decided to reorganize the commissions on countering pseudoscience and falsification of research.

False academics were very offended

Now Vedomosti writes about this, considering that in fact we are talking about the actual abolition of both commissions. According to one of the newspaper's interlocutors, "the commissions have always irritated both the Presidium of the Russian Academy of Sciences and those scientists whose work was criticized".

It is no secret that these commissions included "critical-minded" experts who exposed pseudoscientific publications of candidates for corresponding members of the Russian Academy of Sciences and academics in their reports. For example, in 2019, due to the report of the commission on combating pseudoscience, several candidates for academics were not included in their number at once.

The "taming" of the commission on combating pseudoscience is being carried out at the instigation of the Kovalchuk brothers, one of whom was never able to become president of the Russian Academy of Sciences, and will please adherents of homeopathy, the chairman of this commission, Academician Yevgeny Alexandrov, told NSN Radio.

"The commissions were inconvenient for many. They spoke out on various issues, often too sharply, in the opinion of the authorities and the authorities. Now that the Academy has changed the authorities, it was decided to tame them somewhat. Some of the doctors are very happy because we attacked homeopathy and some kind of cheating in medicine… This issue of reassignment was resolved without discussion with the heads and members of the commissions. All this was done by Kovalchuk, of course… They promoted their candidacy for president of the Academy", - Alexandrov said.

It is curious at the same time that the popular satirical website Panorama predicted the liquidation of these commissions in its own style back in 2018. And in general, Panorama has become the main forecaster in Russia, experts say, not jokingly.

There will also be no one to enlighten

But that's not all: the educational project "Vsenauka", which distributed popular science literature for free, also stopped its work.

This project has existed since 2019 and, in addition to free access to books, was engaged, in particular, in improving Wikipedia's scientific articles, simplifying them for the audience to understand, and also interacted with the scientific community in various fields. Now, due to serious economic problems, it has become almost impossible to obtain financing for its continuation, the number of sponsors of educational projects has catastrophically decreased even among the traditional partners of the project. For example, one of the main sponsors, Yandex, terminated the contract with the Vsenauka program in the summer of 2022. So there was simply no money for the prolongation of electronic rights to books and other active activities.

"Due to the deterioration of international relations," the project says, "many foreign copyright holders refused to work with Russia, as a result of which the rights to some of our free books became unavailable in 2022. The authors of the other part of these books were recognized as foreign agents. Domestic publishers of popular science literature, constrained by new restrictions and risks, began to ask us to stop the free distribution of some books..."

Well, there is not enough money not only for such funds, but also for public sector salaries, so there is nothing to be surprised about.

We will live according to the Strugatsky

The famous Russian scientist and public figure Vera Afanasyeva predicts in this regard: "The next step will be the creation of commissions to promote occultism, shamanism ..."

And political scientist Konstantin Kalachyov is ironic: "And again half measures! Where is the Russian version of the German Ahnenerbe (an organization that existed in 1935-1945, created to study the traditions, history and heritage of the Nordic race with the aim of occult and ideological support of the state apparatus of Nazi Germany, ed.)?

Who will be engaged in esotericism and occultism, the study of mystical practices and their connection with science, the search for the philosopher's stone and the elixir of immortality?

Don't like analogies with Germany?

Then there is the secret Research Institute of Witchcraft and Wizardry (NIICHAVO) (a fictional organization from the legendary novel by brothers Strugatsky "Monday begins on Saturday", - editor's note) . Don't stop!"