Le pedí a ChatGpt que me explicara tanto el concepto de «open science» como las apropiaciones neoliberales del mismo
por Juan Pablo Anaya
Hi there!
ChatGPT: Hello! How can I assist you today?
Can you explain what is «open science»?
ChatGPT: Certainly! Open science refers to the movement to make scientific research, data, and dissemination accessible to everyone, without barriers such as paywalls or restrictions on usage. It promotes transparency, collaboration, and sharing of knowledge among researchers and the broader public. Key components of open science include:
- Open Access Publications: Making research articles freely available online, often under licenses that permit redistribution and reuse. This ensures that anyone can access and build upon scientific findings without financial or legal barriers.
- Open Data: Sharing research data openly, allowing other researchers to verify results, conduct further analysis, or reuse the data for new studies. Open data promotes transparency and reproducibility in scientific research.
- Open Source Software: Developing and sharing software tools and code openly, enabling transparency in computational methods, reproducibility of results, and collaboration among researchers.
- Open Peer Review: Making the peer review process more transparent and accessible, often by publishing reviewer comments and identities alongside articles, or by adopting alternative peer review models.
- Citizen Science: Involving the public in scientific research, either by crowdsourcing data collection or analysis, or by engaging non-experts in the research process.
- Open Educational Resources (OER): Providing educational materials such as textbooks, lectures, and course materials freely available online, often under open licenses that permit adaptation and redistribution.
Overall, open science aims to democratize access to scientific knowledge, accelerate the pace of discovery, and increase the reproducibility and reliability of research findings. It has gained momentum in response to concerns about the limitations of traditional academic publishing models, such as high subscription costs, publication biases, and barriers to collaboration and innovation.
Following what you have said, can you explain me why can we say that the concept and practice of «open science» can be said to be partly co-opted and appropriated by neoliberal players such as CoalitionS?
ChatGPT: Certainly. While open science is primarily driven by principles of transparency, collaboration, and accessibility, it’s important to recognize that its implementation can be influenced or co-opted by various actors, including those with neoliberal agendas.
The Coalition for Responsible Sharing (CoalitionS), for instance, is an initiative by several publishers aimed at addressing what they perceive as unauthorized sharing of copyrighted academic articles. While on the surface, initiatives like CoalitionS may claim to align with the principles of open science by advocating for responsible sharing, they can also serve the interests of commercial publishers seeking to maintain control over access to research and protect their revenue streams.
Here’s how open science principles might be co-opted or appropriated by neoliberal players like CoalitionS:
- Emphasis on Market-Based Solutions: Neoliberalism tends to prioritize market mechanisms and private sector involvement in addressing societal issues. Initiatives like CoalitionS may frame their efforts as promoting responsible sharing within the existing market framework, rather than challenging the commercialization of knowledge or advocating for systemic change.
- Protection of Intellectual Property: Neoliberal ideology often emphasizes the importance of intellectual property rights as a driver of innovation and economic growth. While open science advocates for open access and sharing of research outputs, neoliberal players may focus on protecting copyrights and commercial interests, potentially leading to restrictions on access or usage rights.
- Maintaining Power Dynamics: Neoliberalism is often associated with the concentration of power and resources in the hands of a few. Commercial publishers, through initiatives like CoalitionS, may seek to maintain their dominant position in the scholarly publishing ecosystem by shaping the narrative around responsible sharing and influencing policy decisions to protect their interests.
- Limited Structural Change: Neoliberal approaches typically favor incremental reforms within existing structures rather than challenging underlying power dynamics or advocating for systemic change. As a result, initiatives like CoalitionS may focus on addressing specific issues related to unauthorized sharing without challenging the broader inequalities and barriers to access in the scholarly publishing system.
Overall, while initiatives like CoalitionS may adopt the language or superficial aspects of open science, it’s important to critically examine their motivations, strategies, and implications within the broader context of neoliberalism and the commercialization of knowledge. True open science should prioritize the public good, promote equitable access to knowledge, and challenge existing power dynamics in the production and dissemination of research.
