Sheldon Krimsky

Sheldon Krimsky is Professor of Urban and Environmental Policy and Planning at Tufts University, and adjunct professor in the Department of Family Medicine and Community Health at Tufts University School of Medicine. He is a fellow of the Hastings Center, an independent bioethics research institution.

Krimsky received his bachelor's and master's degrees in physics from Brooklyn College and Purdue University respectively, and a masters and doctorate in philosophy at Boston University.

In his 2003 book Science in the Private Interest, Krimsky points out that conflicts of interests are perceived and regulated very differently in public affairs and in science:

The prophylactic measures that are taken to prevent conflict of interest in public affairs are considered irrelevant in science precisely because scientists view themselves as participating in a higher calling than that of public officials—namely, the pursuit of objective knowledge. While senior public officials (elected or appointed) are prohibited from managing their portfolios during their tenure in office, scientists with patents and equity in companies that fund their research are at most simply asked to disclose their interests.

Krimsky raises the concern that conflicts of interest may compromise the scientific norm of "disinterestedness", which "requires that scientists apply the methods, perform the analysis, and execute the interpretation of results without considerations of personal gain, ideology, or fidelity to any cause other than the pursuit of truth." He claims that blurred boundaries between public interest science and pursuit of private gain have severely compromised the integrity of university science:

The evolving academic universe is no longer as nurturing an environment for public-interest science as it once was. To a large degree, universities have been taken over by money managers and academic entrepreneurs who are looking for financially lucrative research.

Krimsky writes that the profit motive has corrupted many scientists in biomedical research. He also proposes that the relationships between corporations, universities, and government agencies have resulted in biased science that puts human health and environment at risk. He has written and commented on genetically modified foods, water fluoridation, environmental health, global warming, and other controversial topics.

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