Ex-Cambridge professor at center of plagiarism row found dead
Jason Arday: Former Cambridge university professor found dead
Jason Arday, the former University of Cambridge professor who resigned amid plagiarism allegations, was found dead at his home in Battersea, south London. Police say the death is unexpected but not suspicious. Arday, 41, had denied plagiarism but admitted errors and said the scrutiny had taken a profound toll on him and his loved ones.
The relentless accusations, speculation and public commentary have taken a profound toll on me and on those I love.
- unified101
Poor guy, no life deserves this ending. He got caught up deeper and deeper in his proclamations, painted himself into a corner, and wasn't able to reset.
Does anyone know of a case where someone went through a reset and came out strong after such a "downfall"?
- zamadatix
A tragedy all around. Most obviously for Jason Arday, who, regardless of which interpretations of everything else one takes, saw this end as the only way out of a high profile media situation.
- amiga386
This is a tragedy.
He did not need to take his own life. There was definitely a path for his life to continue. His family still loved him. Sure, he wouldn't have the cushy professorship and the prestige and the book deal and speaking engagements. But there have been people who have fallen from grace harder and faster, for much worse reasons, and they have come back.
It is very sad that Arday took his life for what was at most a temporary setback. R.I.P.
- averysmallbird
For whatever he did, he never needed to be the product of an international pile-on. Even having known and read about this feels like being a party to a tragedy.
- srean
I think it was a case of narcissistic collapse.
https://www.simplypsychology.com/articles/narcissistic-colla...
Going by the astonishing tall tales he spread about himself, I would be surprised if it wasn't.
The following video is a psychologist's take, well, a YouTube psychologist's take on some of his many implausible, superhuman and grandiose claims that include:
Running 30 marathons in 35 days, notably running the final nine marathons with a fracture.
To have completed 600 miles of running in just six days.
Raised over £5.5 million ($7.4 million) for charity.
(Time) travelling to Brazil on a relief mission where he personally installed water pumps for local populations as part of a program that shut down before he was born.
- obscurette
Just one of many tragedies bound to one of the biggest problems in modern society – obsession to victims. Framing yourself or others as a victim gives you complete immunity and frees you from any responsibility for the consequences of your actions. This obsession has a potential to end the world we know.
- cmiles8
The whole thing is a tragedy. Nobody wants to see a situation end like this.
There are other likely victims here too though including those who were passed over for roles or promotions based on the alleged false claims, exaggerations and plagiarism. Those are harder to identify and quantify but still a very real thing that has deep impact on people’s lives.
- hyperhello
I'm wondering just how falsifiable a claim of plagiarism is in the field of sociology.