The social justice agenda has swept through the sciences like a pandemic. Science now finds itself in the dock for racist and sexist sins, for failing to tie the theory of the electron to critical race theory, for ornery skepticism in the face of consensus on “settled science.” What once were virtues, like hard work, objectivity, and meritocracy, are now condemned as unwoke and even white supremacist. Science must now be intellectually cleansed.
The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) is leading the charge, most prominently by Dr. Holden Thorp, Science magazine’s Editor-in-Chief. He has committed the AAAS to bringing science into conformity with the new reigning ideology. The membership of the AAAS seems to be going along with this.
But many scientists are pushing back—one example is Dr. Luana Maroja, Professor of Biology at Williams College in Massachusetts. She has challenged Holden Thorp’s assertions in an open debate at UNC, particularly on the cultural assumptions that underlay the ideological changes that are presently shaking the sciences. A native of Brazil, she brings an interesting and critical perspective to those assumptions.
The discussion is moderated by J. Scott Turner, Director of the Intrusion of Diversity in the Sciences Project for the National Association of Scholars. This webinar is the third installment in NAS’s ongoing Restoring the Sciences webinar series.
Image: Ousa Chea, Public Domain
