Science and Democracy

While scientists write for each other, they do so largely in “peer-reviewed” journals. When the process works well it means that a number of qualified people have looked over the research and commented on it before publication.

But the very term “peer review” means that the people who are affected by those decisions are not only left out of the review, they are generally not even a part of the audience.

IEER’s aim is to provide people with literature which has a quality equal to that in scientific journals, but which doesn’t require you to go back to college to get a degree in science to understand it.

Our audience is that of the determined activist concerned about the world, the concerned policy-maker, and the knowledgeable journalist. We choose our subjects so that they are relevant to environmental protection and other aspects of human well-being.

We rely mainly on primary scientific literature and official documents, and our work has held up well to intense scrutiny by the U.S. Department of Energy and its contractors, as well as others who have reason to dislike our conclusions, such as this writer:

I applaud your effort to improve the practical knowledge and skills of non-technical citizens in the areas of nuclear technology. I also found the light and humorous tone of the newsletter refreshing. You are obviously critical of the DOE “establishment.” Perhaps some of your frustration about our current state of affairs stems from the growth, institutionalization, and bureaucratization of activities that were once driven, guided and executed by the principles of scientific inquiry.”
James G. Toscas, Executive Director (1993)
American Nuclear Society

Thank you for your kind note. The problem that IEER has found is that the work of the nuclear establishment (both governmental and private) on health and environmental issues has never been consistently guided by principles of sound science. Rather, public relations and an underlying agenda to push nuclear power and nuclear weapons production have dominated and often overwhelmed science.
Arjun Makhijani, President, IEER

What people say about IEER:

I love and admire the way you guys work to de-mystify nuclear physics/power/weapons.

I appreciate the information [produced by IEER] as I am working to bring a stop to the planned MRS storage dump here on the Mescalero Apache Reservation. Keep us in your thoughts and prayers as others in the group fight along with me.