这个事件涉及到我在16年前当研究生时写的一篇网文《科学是什么》，去年已经澄清过，今年三月份《法治周末》就此事造谣时我又澄清了一次，现在光明网又开 始炒作此事，造谣说《打假斗士方舟子16年前“借”用导师理论遭批评》，而植物所首席造谣员蒋高明也在其科学网博客上造谣说美国教授“呵斥自己的博士 生”。这两人在翻译所谓信件时都做了故意的歪曲。实际上此事当事人Root-Bernstein虽然是我的母校密歇根州立大学的教授，但不是我的导师，我 从来就不认识他，没上过他的课，没跟他见过面。我的导师Zachary Burton已经出来支持我，认为对我的指控是无理的。“方学家”们对他也进行人身攻击。Root-Bernstein发信称，他的本意只是要讨论我16年前那篇网文对其观点的使用是否恰当，不同的文化用不同的语言是如何对待这类问题，无意涉及我的人格。如果有人继续借此对我或Burton博士进行人身攻击，他将收回指控，结束讨论。
作为方是民博士读研究生时的导师，我愿意重申我对方博士在中国社会中的杰出地位的支持。
我对方博士的政治敌人试图诋毁他的那些做法毫无兴趣。
方博士在我的实验室完成了优质的论文研究，在1995年被授予博士学位。他根据他的论文研究在《生物化学杂志》发表了一篇高质量的研究论文。据我所知，他的论文工作经受了时间的考验，RNA聚合酶II的转录因子TFIIF仍然与TFIIB反应。
如果Root-Bernstein博士的指控有其合理之处的话，我没能看出来。方博士对Root-Bernstein博士已做出了合理而审慎的回应。
诚挚的，
Zachary Burton博士
密歇根州立大学生物化学与分子生物学系教授
As Dr. Shi-min Fang’s former graduate school mentor, I would like to re-iterate my support for Dr. Fang’s prominent position in Chinese society.
I have no interest in the efforts of Dr. Fang’s political opponents to try to discredit him.
Dr. Fang completed a good quality thesis in my laboratory, awarded in 1995. He published a high quality research paper in the Journal of Biological Chemistry based on his thesis work. So far as I know, his thesis work has passed the test of time, and Transcription Factor for RNA polymerase II (TFII)F still interacts with TFIIB.
If there is merit in Dr. Root-Bernstein’s accusations, I fail to see it. Dr. Fang has responded to Dr. Root-Bernstein in a reasonable and measured way.
With best regards and sincerity,
Zachary Burton, Ph.D.
Professor
Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Michigan State University
E. Lansing, MI 48824-1319
我给指控我“剽窃”的“母校教授”的答复
4 天前我给指控我“剽窃”的“母校教授Root-Bernstein”（我不认识他，从未上过他的课或见过他）回了一封信。这封信本不打算公开。但 Root-Bernstein将它转给“方学家”公开，“方学家”将其内容和Root-Bernstein的信通过有意误译的方法歪曲。所以还是在这里公 开好了。我的导师Zachary Burton认为我的这个答复“合理而审慎”。
尊敬的Root-Bernstein博士，
1995年我还是密歇根州立大学一名研究生时，我在一个叫alt.chinese.text的网上论坛张贴了一篇短文，当时在中国留学生中有一场关于伪 科学的辩论。那篇短文是对一个网上讨论的一个非正式的、随意的跟帖，不是学术论文或作业。它部分地复述了你的文章中的科学判断标准。我把这些科学标准说成 是“科学哲学界的共识”，并给出自己的例子解释它。我后来改写了这篇短文，在1999年我的一本书中正式出版，并注明来源为“根据Root- Bernstein的归纳”。2007年在我的另一本书中这些标准又被提及时，我给出文献出处为"On Defining a Scientific Theory: Creationism Considered, Robert Root-Bernstein, Science and Creationism, Oxford University Press, 1984"（如果没有这一文献出处，我不相信肖传国——这位外科医生由于我揭露了其不正当医疗行为而雇人用辣椒水和锤子袭击我——的支持者能在16年后追 踪到文献来源并向你和密歇根州立大学校方举报“剽窃”。在这一答复中我删掉了四名肖传国支持者的电子邮址。）
我从未把那些标准说成是我自己的原创思想，也从未复制你的措辞。而且它正式出版时，已注明了引用出处和文献来源。因此根据你不同意但公认的定义，我不认为它构成剽窃或侵犯版权。但是在最初的网帖中我没有明确地提及你的名字是不妥的，我为此道歉。
诚挚的，
方是民
Dear Dr. Root-Bernstein,
In 1995 when I was a graduate student at MSU, I posted a short writing to an online forum called alt.chinese.text when there was a debate about pseudoscience among oversea Chinese students. It was an informal, casual follow-up to a discussion thread, not an academic paper or assignment. Part of it paraphrased the criteria of science from your article. I presented the criteria of science as "consensus in philosophy of science" and gave my own examples to explain it. This writing was revised and formally published in one of my books in 1999, and it cited the source as “According to the summary by Root-Bernstein”, and when the criteria were mentioned again in another book of mine in 2007, it gave reference as "On Defining a Scientific Theory: Creationism Considered, Robert Root-Bernstein, Science and Creationism, Oxford University Press, 1984".(Without this reference, I don't believe the supporters of Xiao Chuanguo, the surgeon who hired assailants to attack me using pepper spray and hammer after I exposed his malpractice, could track down the source and report the "plagiarism" to you and MSU administration 16 years later. I have deleted email addresses of four Xiao's supporters in this reply)
I never presented the criteria as my own original idea, nor did I copy your wordings. And when it's formally published, the source had been credited and cited. Therefore I don't think it consists of plagiarism or copyright infringement according to the common accepted definitions with which you disagree. But it's inappropriate not to explicitly credit you in my original posting, and I apologize for it.
Sincerely,
Shi-min Fang
