Thread Rating:
  • 0 Vote(s) - 0 Average
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5

Political positions as part of science: "People who say they aren’t are just lying"

#1
C C Offline
Richard Lewontin leaves a legacy of fighting racism in science
https://www.wired.com/story/richard-lewo...n-science/

EXCERPT: . . . But because he was so open about his politics, says Graves, Lewontin was not only a uniquely political scientist but also a uniquely honest one. “The simple fact of the matter is that political positions have always been part of science,” Graves says. “People who say they aren’t are just lying.” (MORE - details)

- - - satire corner - - -

Cynical Sindee: Especially in the human sciences.

While I surely agree for the most part with Lewontin's conclusions, it's basically for the same underlying reason that this writer did and everyone else who gave him a pat on the back about the work over the years. Which eventually led to "race" being rendered biologically meaningless.

Because it's feel-good stuff that one would experience a sense of immorality even going against. Not necessarily the outright elimination of race, but at least demoting it in terms of the significance it once had.

Which is to say, I have little confidence that it was arrived at by impartial scientific activity and interpretation. Lewontin was clearly motivated by his pre-existing opinions, which probably affected his navigation through the waters of research as well. [Though this kind of blasphemy in general directed at a temple of science would usually be attracting the footfalls of reproachful priests in the distance.]

However, that itself does not render the destination incorrect. A package delivery person could still reach the right address after robbing two liquor stores and a convenience pharmacy along the way.

In the same spirit of "doing what's right", scientists opposing A. W. F. Edwards' challenge below may still tinker with standards and the semantics of "race" so as to ensure it stays slain.

Lewontin's Fallacy
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_Gene...7s_Fallacy

Bottom line: Face it, you overly idealistic worshipers. Some areas of science are determined by the shifting weather of society, not neutral practices and being ethically dis-interested in the outcome of studies and investigations, no matter where they fall. And if occasional research does elude "proper" moral interventions and falls the wrong way in terms of results, a crusading clean-up team merely has to ensure those either get discredited or gradually tumble over a cliff into obscurity.
Reply


Possibly Related Threads…
Thread Author Replies Views Last Post
  Article Science isn't "woke", but it is political C C 0 64 Oct 9, 2023 02:43 AM
Last Post: C C
  Article The Alimonti Addendum + Carbon offsets aren’t doing their job, overstate impact C C 0 64 Aug 28, 2023 08:27 PM
Last Post: C C
  Stanford University’s fickle commitment to science (Part 1) C C 0 117 Jan 10, 2023 09:10 PM
Last Post: C C
  "Science is political": Defending its soapbox antics, SciAm fully looses its cred? C C 1 340 Nov 12, 2022 06:10 AM
Last Post: Kornee
  Why science can't settle political disputes C C 0 65 Sep 30, 2021 04:22 PM
Last Post: C C
  A 3rd option for political based science misrepresentation? C C 1 89 Sep 8, 2021 09:09 PM
Last Post: Syne
  Microaggressions aren’t innocent blunders – new research links them with racial bias C C 2 123 Sep 25, 2020 01:29 PM
Last Post: Zinjanthropos
  Ideology: UNSW urges lying about arrival date of Aboriginals to protect feelings C C 1 248 Jul 1, 2019 01:46 PM
Last Post: Zinjanthropos
  Indian Science Congress speakers say Newton was wrong, ancient demon-king had planes C C 2 906 Jan 14, 2019 05:58 AM
Last Post: C C
  The triage of truth: do not take expert opinion lying down C C 3 673 Nov 8, 2017 04:46 PM
Last Post: Yazata



Users browsing this thread: 1 Guest(s)