Sometimes, when I notice carefully, the environment in Pharma, I realize than more than being about truth, the entire industry is about memes. Step inside any scientific team, alongside lab protocols and data dashboards, subtler games are a part of the scenario: status assertions, interruptions, pattern of mansplaining or even "humbly expressing ego".
Ego and control don’t just fray collegiality; they corrupt the engine of knowledge generation itself. But why do these attitudes persist? Epistemology and memetics can explain this. Epistemologically, true progress demands fallibilism: the recognition that all knowledge is conjectural, open to criticism (courtesy Popper). The moment ego takes root, error-correction is sidelined by authority. Status games substitute expertise for explanation, sincerity for performative certainty. In scientific cultures, this distorts whose voice is heard and whose knowledge counts.
Miranda Fricker calls this “epistemic injustice”: downgrading the credibility of knowers (often women, minorities) simply because of who they are.
In pharma, women fill half of all staff roles, but only about a third of major leadership posts, as numerous studies and CEOs acknowledge. Knowledge is lost not just through poor logic, but by systematically filtering out the critical perspectives essential for innovation. Infact it's rather common on such positions to use meme and gossip dynamics at the top:
Ego and control don’t just fray collegiality; they corrupt the engine of knowledge generation itself. But why do these attitudes persist? Epistemology and memetics can explain this. Epistemologically, true progress demands fallibilism: the recognition that all knowledge is conjectural, open to criticism (courtesy Popper). The moment ego takes root, error-correction is sidelined by authority. Status games substitute expertise for explanation, sincerity for performative certainty. In scientific cultures, this distorts whose voice is heard and whose knowledge counts.
Miranda Fricker calls this “epistemic injustice”: downgrading the credibility of knowers (often women, minorities) simply because of who they are.
In pharma, women fill half of all staff roles, but only about a third of major leadership posts, as numerous studies and CEOs acknowledge. Knowledge is lost not just through poor logic, but by systematically filtering out the critical perspectives essential for innovation. Infact it's rather common on such positions to use meme and gossip dynamics at the top:
- Executives sometimes downplay the achievements or credibility of peers in strategic conversations, using gossip as a form of relational aggression and social maneuvering.
- Negative memes—rumors, implied criticism, or selective praise—spread informally and can alter reputational dynamics, influencing not just career trajectories but who is regarded as a “trusted explainer”.
- These status games operate memetically: they self-replicate, becoming cultural habits in organizations where authority outranks explanatory depth. The reward systems, both material and social, may reinforce those who play the game best.
High-level research teams should recognize these memetic and gossip patterns and consciously build norms of transparent, sincere communication, where explanation trumps posturing, and epistemic power is measured by ideas critically tested, not by reputational choreography.
Consider Richard Feynman, who embodied Popperian epistemology: "The first principle is that you must not fool yourself—and you are the easiest person to fool." - This is fallibilism in action.
Albert Bourla’s rise to lead Pfizer shows a memetic shift: he urges teams to “keep ego in check” and prioritize purpose and explanation over dominance—especially under pandemic pressure. This is epistemology in practice—humility, fallibilism, and a relentless drive to try, test, and improve. Bourla’s people-first values moved Pfizer to refuse public funding and instead bet over $2 billion to develop an mRNA vaccine in record time without sacrificing quality or integrity.
Emma Walmsley, GSK’s CEO, reframes her leadership as a responsibility to show what’s possible: “I try not to define my work by my gender but absolutely recognize my duty to highlight what needs to change”. By making diversity and equity central, Walmsley demonstrates epistemic creativity: questioning old norms to foster new, explanatory collaborations.
Biocon founder Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw built her company on entrepreneurial resilience after being rejected for being a woman. “You accept guarantees from every other founder. Why not me? Is it because I’m a woman?” she challenged male gatekeepers. Mazumdar-Shaw’s journey is a living meme: turning a bad pattern (discrimination) into a rational replicator-the pursuit of progress.
In sum, pharma's scientific ecosystem thrives on maslov's hierarchy of epistemology- fallible, criticizable knowledge- and rational memes that in many situations are outcompeted by ego-driven ones, reducing the 56-75% of women affected by these dynamics.
Progress, as Popper and Deutsch remind us, is unbounded if we choose creative criticism over stasis. The memetic culture of our scientific ecosystem matters as much as our technical acumen.
Consider Richard Feynman, who embodied Popperian epistemology: "The first principle is that you must not fool yourself—and you are the easiest person to fool." - This is fallibilism in action.
Albert Bourla’s rise to lead Pfizer shows a memetic shift: he urges teams to “keep ego in check” and prioritize purpose and explanation over dominance—especially under pandemic pressure. This is epistemology in practice—humility, fallibilism, and a relentless drive to try, test, and improve. Bourla’s people-first values moved Pfizer to refuse public funding and instead bet over $2 billion to develop an mRNA vaccine in record time without sacrificing quality or integrity.
Emma Walmsley, GSK’s CEO, reframes her leadership as a responsibility to show what’s possible: “I try not to define my work by my gender but absolutely recognize my duty to highlight what needs to change”. By making diversity and equity central, Walmsley demonstrates epistemic creativity: questioning old norms to foster new, explanatory collaborations.
Biocon founder Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw built her company on entrepreneurial resilience after being rejected for being a woman. “You accept guarantees from every other founder. Why not me? Is it because I’m a woman?” she challenged male gatekeepers. Mazumdar-Shaw’s journey is a living meme: turning a bad pattern (discrimination) into a rational replicator-the pursuit of progress.
In sum, pharma's scientific ecosystem thrives on maslov's hierarchy of epistemology- fallible, criticizable knowledge- and rational memes that in many situations are outcompeted by ego-driven ones, reducing the 56-75% of women affected by these dynamics.
Progress, as Popper and Deutsch remind us, is unbounded if we choose creative criticism over stasis. The memetic culture of our scientific ecosystem matters as much as our technical acumen.
What memes will you pass on? and which will you help refute?
