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Fang Zhouzi

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This is an old revision of this page, as edited by 林木森森 (talk | contribs) at 04:40, 20 April 2013 (not a biochemist as he is not employed and not doing active research). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

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Fang Zhouzi
方是民
Born
Fang Shimin

(1967-09-28) September 28, 1967 (age 58)
Yunxiao County, Fujian, China
CitizenshipChina
Alma materUniversity of Science and Technology of China (B.S.)
Michigan State University (Ph.D.)
OccupationPopular scientific translator (English to Chinese)
Known forPresident of New Threads website on Chinese culture
Anti-fraud campaign

Fang Shimin (Chinese: 方是民), better known by his pen name Fang Zhouzi (Chinese: 方舟子; pinyin: Fāng Zhōuzǐ), is a Chinese popular scientific writer who is also well-known for his campaign against pseudoscience and fraud in China.[1] President and co-director of New Threads, a publication and website that promotes Chinese culture to thegeneral public,[2] Fang's aggressive campaign against allegations of academic fraud has been hotly debated; while Fang's works have appeared in many Chinese publications,[3] various Chinese scholars have accused him of vigilantism and of using populist rhetoric in academic research.[4]

In November 2012 he was joint winner, with Simon Wessely, of the combined Nature and Sense About Science inaugural John Maddox Prize for standing up for science.[5]

Biography

Fang Zhouzi was born Fang Shimin in Yunxiao County, Fujian, China in September 1967.[3] Fang stated that his pen name, "Fang Zhouzi", is derived from a classical Chinese expression for "two ships sailing together"; in his case, the two ships stand for science and literature.[6] Fang graduated from University of Science and Technology of China in 1990 and enrolled in Michigan State University, where he obtained a Ph.D. in biochemistry in 1995. Fang then worked at various institutions as a postdoctoral researcher in molecular genetics.[3]

In the summer of 2010, after Fang questioned the efficacy of his surgical procedure and the accuracy of his curriculum vitae, urologist Xiao Chuanguo hired thugs to assault Fang in Beijing. Fang escaped with only minor cuts and bruises [7], but believed it was an attempt to kill him.[5] Xiao had sued Fang for libel five times in the past five years, winning one case, losing two and two further being undecided.[8] The dispute between Fang and Xiao dated to the founding of the New Threads website, when Fang had used the website to question the accuracy of Xiao's application to the Chinese Academy of Engineering.[9]

Fang is married to Liu Juhua,[10] a senior reporter at the state-controlled Xinhua News Agency.[11] Fang is a permanent resident of the United States.[12] When in the United States, he lives in San Diego.[13]

Campaign against fraud

Fang is an active campaigner against what he perceives as fraud in the Chinese society. His anti-fraud efforts initially targeted academics, but later expanded to public figures in general.

Academia

Fang is famous for his website, New Threads (established in 2001), that discusses poor-quality science in China and his efforts to expose poor scientific work, fraud and increase the profile of research ethics in China have received wide coverage.[4] Within the country there is no official body or procedure to handle complaints or examine allegations of fraud, and Fang started the website as an unofficial platform to expose instances.[9] In 2006, a series of accusations and counter-accusations on Fang's website lead to significant media attention, criticisms of the self-conducted investigations by Chinese universities, and greater involvement by independent investigative bodies such as the Ministry of Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences or the National Natural Science Foundation of China in investigating allegations; though these institutions already have a role in investigating academic misconduct though their involvement is seen as ineffective.[4] In 2012 Fang shared the inaugural John Maddox Prize, given out by Nature and Sense About Science to "individuals who have promoted sound science and evidence on a matter of public interest, with an emphasis on those who have faced difficulty or opposition in doing so."[5] The announcement of Fang's presentation summarized his contributions, saying:

As an outsider, trained as a biochemist but turned science writer and commentator, [Fang] has done much of what the scientific community aims, but often fails, to do — root out the fakers.

For example, Fang called into question DNA supplements that were widely advertised as a means to rejuvenate the tired, the pregnant and the old. Eventually, the government issued warnings about the supplements. Fang seemed to especially relish smacking down powerful or popular scientists. He even challenged official support of traditional Chinese medicine. But his targets fought back, in one case with particular hostility. ...

Fang imposes transparency on an opaque system. He has opened a forum for criticism and debate in a community that is otherwise devoid of it.

In a 2010 New York Times article, Fang ascribed the problems with Chinese scientific integrity to the university system being run by state bureaucrats with little or no knowledge of the fields they administer, who base their decisions regarding research grants and career advancements on the number of scientific publications found, rather than their quality, where or if they were published. According to Fang, other problems include fellow researchers who protect their peers, sometimes due to personal connections and sometimes due to a fear of being exposed themselves. As of 2010 Fang's website had listed over 900 examples of academic fraud, which included presidents of universities and nationally known researchers.[14]

Nonscientists

Fang has also accused nonscientists of fraud and plagiarism. Fang questioned the qualifications and degrees of high-profile Chinese businessman Tang Jun, the former president of MSN China, who acquired his PhD degree from a diploma mill rather than the claimed California Institute of Technology.[15] He did the same to former Google China president Kai-Fu Lee.[16] Fang has accused Li Qun, a local Chinese official responsible for enforcing China's one-child policy, of falsely claiming to have worked for New Haven, Connecticut mayor John DeStefano, Jr.,[17] and blogger, author and race-car driver Han Han of plagiarism, though Han denied the accusations.[18] In Jan 2012, Fang accused Ping Fu, the Chinese-born American CEO of Geomagic, of fabricating stories in her memoir Bend, Not Break.[19] In response, Fu posted a series of corrections and clarifications.[20] Fang continued to make personal attacks on Fu [21] and later expanded his criticism to American media, calling the Daily Beast "the shame of American journalism".[22]

Criticism

Despite the intent to scrutinize and improve the honesty of scientific research in China, Fang's actions have been criticized for lacking transparency that would allow proper investigations. Many of the roughly 100 allegations posted on Fang's website each year are anonymous and lack details, and those accused have been unable to respond as a result.[9] On 8 May 2006, Fu Xinyuan, an Indiana University professor of immunology, published an open letter, signed by 120 overseas Chinese scholars, that called for due process and presumption of innocence in Chinese academic corruption cases. Furthermore, the letter criticized the practice of using populist rhetoric and personal attacks to affect institutional investigations. Although the letter did not explicitly mention Fang Zhouzi or his New Threads website, it was widely received as a rebuttal to Fang's campaigns. Fang denied Fu Xinyuan's claims, calling Fu's letter "contrary to the spirit of free speech". On 25 May 2006, Nature published a discussion of Fang's work, stating that while Fang's website had started a debate regarding academic integrity and scientific misconduct in China, areas where the country has admitted to "serious problems", the anonymous nature of the accusations posted on Fang's website reminded some of the similarly anonymous accusations that led to persecution of "government enemies" during the Cultural Revolution.[4] Fang replied the Nature article, claiming that it is "absurd to compare Internet freedom of speech to the Cultural Revolution".[23]

Plagiarism allegation

In October 2010, an overseas Chinese scholar known under the alias Yi Ming accused Fang of plagiarizing the Michigan State University professor Robert Root-Bernstein in an early essay. Michigan State University refused to investigate the issue on the grounds that Fang had already left the university at the time he published the essay.[24] On 3 August 2011, Root-Bernstein published an open letter refuting Fang's denial of any wrongdoing and claiming that Fang's essay exhibited "exactly the same development of the argument in the same order using the same examples". Later, in a letter written to Root-Bernstein and posted to his blog, Fang maintained that he didn't consider his actions to be plagiarism or copyright infringement, but apologized for not crediting Root-Bernstein in his original posting.[25]

Views and essays

Genetically modified food

Fang supports the use of genetically modified food, writing articles and producing a series of lectures regarding the risks, benefits and misinformation surrounding GMF.[26]

Religion

Fang has strongly criticized Christianity, dedicating a section of his New Threads website to its criticism.[27] In an interview, Fang described the religion as barbaric, violent, and a threat to Western and Chinese culture[28] and Jehovah a “murderous demon”.[29] In an essay, he questioned the gospel accounts of the life of Jesus Christ, saying "there is no reliable historical record providing evidence that Jesus of Nazareth ever existed".[30]

Fang has also criticized Li Yi, a Taoist monk known for allegedly magical feats, for taking advantage of the poor public health infrastructure in China by claiming he could improve people's health.[31]

Fang was the earliest critic of Falungong, a buddhist cult that was later banned in China.[32]

Scientific research in China

Commenting on the 2012 Nobel Prizes, Fang has stated that while China has made significant advances in technology, but has not caught up to Japan, Europe and the United States in science and research. He stated that he does not expect China to produce a Nobel Prize-winning scientist for the next ten or more years.[33]

Traditional Chinese medicine

Fang asserts Traditional Chinese medicine is superstitious pseudoscience[34] and referred to its practitioners as "charlatans".[35] Fang published a book systematically debunking TCM's theory and practice.[36]

References

  1. ^ Xiong, Lei (2001-08-10). "Biochemist Wages Online War Against Ethical Lapses". Science. Retrieved 2012-02-03.
  2. ^ "English introduction to New Threads". Retrieved 2013-02-12.
  3. ^ a b c "Profile: Fang Zhouzi". Phoenix Television. Retrieved 3 February 2012.
  4. ^ a b c d Attention: This template ({{cite pmid}}) is deprecated. To cite the publication identified by PMID 16724027, please use {{cite journal}} with |pmid= 16724027 instead.
  5. ^ a b c Attention: This template ({{cite doi}}) is deprecated. To cite the publication identified by doi: 10.1038/491160a , please use {{cite journal}} (if it was published in a bona fide academic journal, otherwise {{cite report}} with |doi= 10.1038/491160a instead.
  6. ^ "方舟子：一己之力昭示的科学精神" (in Chinese). New Threads. Retrieved 2012-02-03. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  7. ^ Attention: This template ({{cite doi}}) is deprecated. To cite the publication identified by doi: 10.1038/467511a , please use {{cite journal}} (if it was published in a bona fide academic journal, otherwise {{cite report}} with |doi= 10.1038/467511a instead.
  8. ^ Attention: This template ({{cite doi}}) is deprecated. To cite the publication identified by doi: 10.1038/467511a , please use {{cite journal}} (if it was published in a bona fide academic journal, otherwise {{cite report}} with |doi= 10.1038/467511a instead.
  9. ^ a b c "Scientists behaving badly: Recent events show China needs to clean up its scientific act". The Economist. 2010-10-07. Retrieved 2012-12-29.
  10. ^ Wang, J (2011-04-29). "China Daily: Science cop's wife called plagiarizer". China Daily. Retrieved 2013-02-25.
  11. ^ "Fang Zhouzi Lashes Out At Microblog Forwarders". Yangcheng Evening News (in Chinese). 2010-12-19. Retrieved 2013-02-25.
  12. ^ "方舟子遇袭后首次露面：现在出门肯定不一个人". China News Service (in Chinese). 2010-09-22.
  13. ^ "New Threads: Facing the Enemies of Science in China: Pseudoscience and Corruption in Scientific Community". New Threads. Retrieved 2013-02-12. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  14. ^ Jacobs, A (2010-10-06). "Rampant Fraud Threat to China's Brisk Ascent". The New York Times. Retrieved 2012-12-29.
  15. ^ Ford, P (2010-08-30). "Attack on China whistleblower shows risk of unveiling corruption, fraud". Christian Science Monitor. Retrieved 2012-12-29.
  16. ^ Spat with Fang Zhouzi leads Kaifu Lee to post his English biography free on Amazon
  17. ^ Stanndard, E (2011-12-11). "Chinese government quashing news about communist official's embellishment of time in New Haven". New Haven Register. Retrieved 2012-12-29.
  18. ^ Kurtenbach, E (2012-02-09). "China author Han Han sues over ghostwriting claims". AP Online. Yahoo! News. Retrieved 2012-12-29.
  19. ^ Branigan, T (2013-02-05). "Chinese cast doubt over executive's rags to riches tale". The Guardian. Retrieved 2013-02-17. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  20. ^ Fu, P (2013-02-01). "Clarifying the Facts in Bend, Not Break". The Huffington Post. Retrieved 2013-02-17.
  21. ^ Fang's Sohu Weibo
  22. ^ Fang's Hexun Blog: The Fu Affair: American Media's Pride, Prejudice and Falsehood (ending sentence)
  23. ^ Attention: This template ({{cite pmid}}) is deprecated. To cite the publication identified by PMID 16791174 , please use {{cite journal}} with |pmid= 16791174 instead.
  24. ^ "方舟子涉嫌抄袭总调查". The Legal Weekly (in Chinese). 2011-03-30. Retrieved 2012-02-03.
  25. ^ Fang, Zhouzi. "我给指控我"剽窃"的"母校教授"的答复" (in Chinese). Retrieved 2012-02-03.
  26. ^ Fang, Z. "Public Lecture Series". Tudou. Retrieved 2012-12-29.
  27. ^ "Against Christianity" (in Chinese). New Threads. Retrieved 2012-11-27.
  28. ^ Fang, Z. "Interview with Fang Zhouzi on Christianity" (in Chinese). New Threads. Retrieved 2012-11-27.
  29. ^ New Threads：Jehovah the Murderous Demon
  30. ^ Fang, Z. "There was no Savior--on the historical authenticity of Jesus" (in Chinese). New Threads. Retrieved 2012-11-27.
  31. ^ Coonan, C (2010-09-14). "The tao of deception: China's 'miracle' priest Li Yi accused of faking it". The Independent. Retrieved 2012-12-29.
  32. ^ "Against Falungong" (in Chinese). New Threads. Retrieved 2012-03-11.
  33. ^ Wade, S (2012-10-09). "China's Nobel Winners, Past and Possible". China Digital Times. Retrieved 2012-12-29.
  34. ^ Fang, Z (2009-05-08). "Fang: Why TCM is not science". 21CN (in Chinese). Retrieved 2012-12-29.
  35. ^ Fang, Z (2011-11-28). "Fang: TCM is not science, practitioners charlatans". Chengdu Evening News (in Chinese). Retrieved 2012-12-29.
  36. ^ Fang, Z (2007). 批评中医 (Piping Zhongyi) (in Chinese). 中国协和医科大学出版社. ISBN 9787810728768.

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