Why
I Declined to Review Paper for Physical Review?
By Dr. Daniel Amit
Dr. Daniel Amit
Univ. di Roma,
La Sapienza Ple
Aldo Moro 2 00185 Roma, ITALY
Electronic URL-Download Referral from Physical Review
Code: EA8932 Title: Transitions in oscillatory dynamics of
two connected neurons with excitatory synapses
Received 08 January 2003
Dear Dr. Amit:
We would appreciate your review of this manuscript, which
has been submitted to Physical Review E. This message is the
COMPLETE REFERRAL. No hardcopy will be sent unless requested.
——————————————————————————————————
From: “Daniel Amit” <[email protected]>
To: “Physical Review E” <[email protected]>
Sent: Friday, March 21, 2003 6:11 PM
Subject: Re: Review_request AMIT EA8932
Roudi
I will not at this point correspond
with any american institution. Some of us have lived through
1939.
Daniel Amit
————————————————————————————————
From: “martin blume” <[email protected]> To:
<[email protected]>; <[email protected]>
Subject: your email to the American Physical Society
Date: Tuesday, April 08, 2003 10:31 PM
Dear Dr. Amit,
We have received your email with your decision not to review
a paper for us in light of American actions in the middle
east. We recognize that reviewing manuscripts is a voluntary
activity, one that you perform as a service to the physics
community, and we thank you for your efforts.
Given the voluntary nature of your participation we of course
respect your decision to cease, and have made an indication
in our database so that no further papers will be sent to
you for review until you inform us otherwise.
We ask, however, that you consider the following in hopes
that in the not too distant future you will decide to review
for us again.
We regard science as an international enterprise and we do
our best to put aside political disagreements in the interest
of furthering the pursuit of scientific matters. We have never
used other than scientific criteria in judging the acceptability
of a paper for publication, without regard to the country
of origin of the author.
We have done this even in cases where some of us have disagreed
strongly with the policies of that country, and we will continue
this practice. We believe it is essential that all parties
involved make every effort to separate social and political
differences from their participation in scientific research
and publication. The pursuit of scientific knowledge needs
to transcend such issues.
Sincerely,
Martin Blume
Editor-in-Chief
—————————————————————————————————
From: “Daniel Amit” <[email protected]>
To: “martin blume” <[email protected]>
Date: Wednesday, April 09, 2003
Dr Blume, Editor in Chief American
Physical Society
Dear Dr Blume
Thank you for you letter of April 8.
I would have liked to be able to share the honorable sentiments
you express in your letter as well as your optimism in the
future role of science and the scientific community. To be
frank, and with much sadness and pain, after 40 years of activity
and collaboration, I find very little reason for such optimism.
What we are watching today, I believe,
is a culmination of 10-15 years of mounting barbarism of the
American culture the world over, crowned by the achievements
of science and technology as a major weapon of mass destruction.
We are witnessing man hunt and wanton killing of the type
and scale not seen since the raids on American Indian populations,
by superior technological power of inferior culture and values.
We see no corrective force to restore the insanity, the self-righteousness
and the lack of respect for human life (civilian and military)
of another race.
Science cannot stay neutral, especially
after it has been so cynically used in the hands of the inspectors
to disarm a country and prepare it for decimation by laser
guided cluster bombs. No, science of the American variety
has no recourse. I, personally, cannot see myself anymore
sharing a common human community with American science. Unfortunately,
I also belong to a culture of a similar spiritual deviation
(Israel), and which seems to be equally incorrigible.
In desperation I cannot but turn my
attention to other tragic periods in which major societies,
some with claims to fundamental contributions to culture and
science, have deviated so far as to be relegated to ostracism
and quarantine. At this point I think American society should
be considered in this category. I have no illusions of power,
as to the scope and prospect of my attitude.
But, the minor role of my act and statement
is a simple way of affirming that in the face of a growing
enormity which I consider intolerable, I will exercise my
own tiny act of disobedience to be able to look straight into
the eyes of my grandchildren and my students and say that
I did know.
With regard,
Daniel Amit
PS I intend to distribute our exchange
as much as possible. I authorize and pray that you do the
same.
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