Yes, they're both equally valid research, if conducted correctly so that the data is not skewed based on the initial hypothesis.
To do research, you have to start out with an initial hypothesis. So say that someone wanted to prove that some races are inferior to others. That's the initial hypothesis. Then they conduct the research. The results can either support or nullify their initial hypothesis. Therefore, pursuing that line of research is not inherently bad because the results could very well show that all the races are "equal."
As an aside, you picked a very vague question, since then you would have to define equality and inferiority. In general, blacks are poorer than whites; does that make them inferior? Whites have higher rates of skin cancer than blacks; does that make them inferior?
What I'm trying to get at is that if you're a good scientist, your initial hypothesis and/or biases will ultimately not matter. If you conduct the research well, your results will speak for themselves. Plus, now we have so many peer review procedures in place before and after someone gets published, that it's rather difficult for someone else not to notice that your research is flawed in some capacity.
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Date: 2008-09-11 12:10 pm (UTC)To do research, you have to start out with an initial hypothesis. So say that someone wanted to prove that some races are inferior to others. That's the initial hypothesis. Then they conduct the research. The results can either support or nullify their initial hypothesis. Therefore, pursuing that line of research is not inherently bad because the results could very well show that all the races are "equal."
As an aside, you picked a very vague question, since then you would have to define equality and inferiority. In general, blacks are poorer than whites; does that make them inferior? Whites have higher rates of skin cancer than blacks; does that make them inferior?
What I'm trying to get at is that if you're a good scientist, your initial hypothesis and/or biases will ultimately not matter. If you conduct the research well, your results will speak for themselves. Plus, now we have so many peer review procedures in place before and after someone gets published, that it's rather difficult for someone else not to notice that your research is flawed in some capacity.