A popular scholar [Professor Jenkins]prominently displays his credentials and scholarly monographs on his website
Professor Jenkins then writes and posts an article on his web-site accusing Ben Franklin of plagiarizing.
But due to his confusion, he actually cited as a source text an article which accused some ELSE of plagiarizing a work OF Ben Franklin's. [IOW he mistakenly blamed the victim instead of the perpetrator]
Now we do have a principle of giving the benefit of the doubt.
However, due to the credentials and professional standing, can this be deemed an honest error due to sloppy research?
Or since Professor Jenkins is a prominent scholar is his error tantamount to "willful negligence" and therefore intellectual dishonesty?
For several references to what I mean by referring to "intellectual honesty" -especially in conjunction with sloppiness or negligence -
please see the following:
«If the person is knowingly aware that there may be additional evidence but purposefully fails to check, and then acts as though the position is confirmed, this is also intellectual dishonesty. »
Which is from
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intellectual_dishonesty
More from the above
Link:
«Intellectual dishonesty is dishonesty in performing intellectual activities like thought or communication. Examples are:
• the advocacy of a position which the advocate knows or believes to be false or misleading
• the conscious omission of aspects of the truth known or believed to be relevant in the particular context. Rhetoric is used to advance an agenda or to reinforce one's deeply held beliefs in the face of overwhelming contrary evidence.[1]
If a person is aware of the evidence and agrees with the conclusion it portends, yet advocates a contradictory view, they commit intellectual dishonesty.
If the person is unaware of the evidence, their position is ignorance, even if in agreement with the scientific conclusion.»
Several Related Links:
http://www.ics.uci.edu/~arvo/honesty.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rigour
KT
RRW
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