Just when I thought that Cancel Culture is receding and the pendulum is swinging back -- here comes another cancellation campaign, UK centered. I hope the Royal Society does the right thing and ignores this shouting woke mob.
Here is another paper relevant to the issue at hand -- an extended version of Yves Gingras' essay on moralization of science that was cited in The Peril:
"As the road to hell is paved with good intentions, only time will tell whether the current tendency to impose the values of self-proclaimed moral entrepreneurs on all scientists and other creators (artists, writers, etc.) will really contribute to the production of “better” science, better novels, and better movies through the formation of “better” persons. The history of the relationships between the arts, the sciences, and changing moral values and ideologies unfortunately suggests that this is unlikely."
I looked up this guy's career record. Something went wrong a number of years back and he no longer has any interest in science or technology. He just spews nonsense instead.
Many people who do this never had much of a career. This person did apparently contribute at one time. Did he burn out? Have some kind of a breakdown? I do not know.
The individual I know personally who similarly went off the rails is struggling with an ongoing painful disaster in her personal life. So, she has grabbed onto woke issues in some desperate attempt to make herself feel better, I suspect. This is similar to observations psychologist Professor Jordan Peterson has made.
The irony is that most of those driving cancel culture campaigns like this are actually in violation of the very Codes of Conduct these so-called "professional" societies claim to be governed by. Perhaps it is time to flood these organizations "conduct" systems with complaints against those engaging in cancel culture...and to do so PUBLICLY calling the whole conduct system into question.
The character raising this issue is not even a member or a fellow or whatever. He is a person who had a somewhat successful career, but appears to have lost the plot. In recent years, he just blathers on about woke issues.
He does not seem to understand that the crap he is pushing is going to destroy STEM completely. It is absolutely amazing to me.
However, I have met others in STEM of a similar bent. I do not understand how they can be so blind to the damage they are doing.
These people are scientists but not the Royal Society members and (to my knowledge) not prominent scientists. There are hundreds of thousands of scientists in the world. About 1% of them hate Musk so much to sign this petition.
Sadly there are 40 Fellows of the Royal Society who have signed this dreadful petition. Including a Field Medallist in my area. There are about 1000 Fellows in total. The meeting on Monday will be interesting.
If throw Musk out, they will end up discrediting themselves for very little short term political gain. I know Musk is not really a scientist, but he has shown tremendous leadership in several technical fields. And that type of skill is pretty rare, in my experience.
Sadly, those who are woke in the rank of fellows are flooding the membership of these organizations by appointing more of their own based on DEI "qualifications" versus the merit of past generations.
While this may be partly true, it's nonetheless a fact that virtually every Fellow of The Royal Society, as far as I am aware, is a top tier scientist, or has extraordinary achievements. To fight effectively, we have to accept the fact that a significant fraction of our most eminent scientists are fine with cancel culture to further wokeness - and this is likely to increase in the near future.
If I'm not mistaken, the British system is quite similar with ours, so I'm in total agreement with Krylov... If Musk breaks some Law, you can sue him in the Court. If Musk agonizes some People, you may criticize him in the Press. Newton often annoyed certain Academics, yet he's still honored by FRS...
I am not sure whether this absurd letter is a real problem. Its author isn't a member of the Royal Society. So his claim is absurd even regardless of his arguments.
As absurd as it is, the petition garnered more than 3000 signatures and the Royal Society will have an extraordinary meeting this coming Monday to discuss it.
Way to go if the Royal Society really wants to circle the drain like so many other British institutions who have gathered the loony (but totally unqualified to judge) Left/liberal to their capacious grant-awash bosoms, in the deluded hope that they will remain relevant, present Channel 4 mock STEM programmes or be lauded by the ghastly twitterati.
It's the self-perpetuating Dinner Party Syndrome writ large.
Defunding would focus their minds back on worthwhile academic pursuits - stat.
Just when I thought that Cancel Culture is receding and the pendulum is swinging back -- here comes another cancellation campaign, UK centered. I hope the Royal Society does the right thing and ignores this shouting woke mob.
Here is another paper relevant to the issue at hand -- an extended version of Yves Gingras' essay on moralization of science that was cited in The Peril:
https://journalofcontroversialideas.org/article/2/2/208
Gingras concludes:
"As the road to hell is paved with good intentions, only time will tell whether the current tendency to impose the values of self-proclaimed moral entrepreneurs on all scientists and other creators (artists, writers, etc.) will really contribute to the production of “better” science, better novels, and better movies through the formation of “better” persons. The history of the relationships between the arts, the sciences, and changing moral values and ideologies unfortunately suggests that this is unlikely."
"What message of support does it send to our friends and colleagues in the USA, especially women..."
It's hilarious that a patronizing Brit thinks American women scientists need his protection from their own government.
I looked up this guy's career record. Something went wrong a number of years back and he no longer has any interest in science or technology. He just spews nonsense instead.
Many people who do this never had much of a career. This person did apparently contribute at one time. Did he burn out? Have some kind of a breakdown? I do not know.
The individual I know personally who similarly went off the rails is struggling with an ongoing painful disaster in her personal life. So, she has grabbed onto woke issues in some desperate attempt to make herself feel better, I suspect. This is similar to observations psychologist Professor Jordan Peterson has made.
The irony is that most of those driving cancel culture campaigns like this are actually in violation of the very Codes of Conduct these so-called "professional" societies claim to be governed by. Perhaps it is time to flood these organizations "conduct" systems with complaints against those engaging in cancel culture...and to do so PUBLICLY calling the whole conduct system into question.
The character raising this issue is not even a member or a fellow or whatever. He is a person who had a somewhat successful career, but appears to have lost the plot. In recent years, he just blathers on about woke issues.
He does not seem to understand that the crap he is pushing is going to destroy STEM completely. It is absolutely amazing to me.
However, I have met others in STEM of a similar bent. I do not understand how they can be so blind to the damage they are doing.
What is shocking to me that this blithering DEI commissar has gathered more than 3,000 signatures for his petition already. Who are these people???
These people are scientists but not the Royal Society members and (to my knowledge) not prominent scientists. There are hundreds of thousands of scientists in the world. About 1% of them hate Musk so much to sign this petition.
Sadly there are 40 Fellows of the Royal Society who have signed this dreadful petition. Including a Field Medallist in my area. There are about 1000 Fellows in total. The meeting on Monday will be interesting.
If throw Musk out, they will end up discrediting themselves for very little short term political gain. I know Musk is not really a scientist, but he has shown tremendous leadership in several technical fields. And that type of skill is pretty rare, in my experience.
Or maybe this 1% simply demonstrate their loyalty to DEI.
Sadly, those who are woke in the rank of fellows are flooding the membership of these organizations by appointing more of their own based on DEI "qualifications" versus the merit of past generations.
While this may be partly true, it's nonetheless a fact that virtually every Fellow of The Royal Society, as far as I am aware, is a top tier scientist, or has extraordinary achievements. To fight effectively, we have to accept the fact that a significant fraction of our most eminent scientists are fine with cancel culture to further wokeness - and this is likely to increase in the near future.
See also https://indefenseofmerit.org/
If I'm not mistaken, the British system is quite similar with ours, so I'm in total agreement with Krylov... If Musk breaks some Law, you can sue him in the Court. If Musk agonizes some People, you may criticize him in the Press. Newton often annoyed certain Academics, yet he's still honored by FRS...
Curry sounds like a real wanker.
I am not sure whether this absurd letter is a real problem. Its author isn't a member of the Royal Society. So his claim is absurd even regardless of his arguments.
As absurd as it is, the petition garnered more than 3000 signatures and the Royal Society will have an extraordinary meeting this coming Monday to discuss it.
The latter (extraordinary meeting) is very sad. However, let's wait what it will result in.
Academics should know better than to promote the silly Kendian notion that lack of positive discrimination equals negative discrimination.
There is no sign attached to discrimination. Discrimination is discrimination.
Maybe with exclusion of "compensation" for ongoing significant discrimination to the opposite side. But this is extremely rare now.
Way to go if the Royal Society really wants to circle the drain like so many other British institutions who have gathered the loony (but totally unqualified to judge) Left/liberal to their capacious grant-awash bosoms, in the deluded hope that they will remain relevant, present Channel 4 mock STEM programmes or be lauded by the ghastly twitterati.
It's the self-perpetuating Dinner Party Syndrome writ large.
Defunding would focus their minds back on worthwhile academic pursuits - stat.