Peat Archive

Education and the sociology of knowledge were lifelong concerns for Ray Peat, who held a master's degree in English literature before pursuing his PhD in biology. He was deeply critical of the authoritarian tendencies in academic science, where institutional consensus suppresses dissent and innovative thinking. He traced how economic interests (pharmaceutical, agricultural, chemical industries) shape what is taught as scientific fact.

Peat advocated for genuine critical thinking — questioning assumptions, examining evidence independently, and understanding the historical and political context of scientific claims. He drew inspiration from William Blake's critiques of rationalism, the Russian tradition of holistic biology, and American pragmatists like John Dewey.