Academics and intellectual honesty

• Main Author: Abdul Razak, Dzulkifli
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: The Sun 2019
• Subjects: LC Special aspects of education
• Online Access: http://irep.iium.edu.my/71689/1/71689_Academics%20and%20intellectual%20honesty.pdf; http://irep.iium.edu.my/71689/; https://www.thesundaily.my/opinion/academics-and-intellectual-honesty-HK792922

IN academic circles, intellectual honesty is deemed a prized item as this is what defines knowledge, the way it is generated and disseminated. Knowledge is debated and scrutinised publicly to ensure that the highest level of honesty is maintained. It is open to all forms of critique by just about anyone interested in the subject. This is a safeguard against any devious agenda held by vested interest groups in promoting the so-called knowledge in the interest of many. One way to deepen this is to understand intellectual dishonesty as “a failure to apply standards of rational evaluation that one is aware of, usually in a self-serving fashion. If one judges others more critically than oneself, that is intellectually dishonest. If one deflects criticism of a friend or ally simply because they are a friend or ally, that is intellectually dishonest.” The need for this rigorous and stringent framework is quite plain, namely, for knowledge to be shared it must be well conveyed and be beyond reproach. Only when this is allowed to happen will the majority benefit from it. That is indeed the ultimate purpose of knowledge and education; the rest are secondary. Peer reviewed seminars and publications are among the conventional practices to systematically monitor that agreed-upon standards and behaviour are adhered to. Any deviation can result in a “rejection” as an indication that it has not arrived at the desired standards. A revision therefore could be required, although this may not necessarily imply intellectual (dis)honesty per se.