An Existential Threat to Doing Good Science
The Free Press | Luana Maroja
Williams biology professor, born under a dictatorship in Brazil, sounds the alarm, warning of authoritarianism in the U.S.— “The risk of cancellation at Williams College, where I have taught for 12 years, and at top colleges and universities throughout this country, is not theoretical. My fellow scientists and I are living it. What is at stake is not simply our reputations, but our ability to pursue truth and scientific knowledge.”
“We each have our own woke tipping point—the moment you realize that social justice is no longer what we thought it was, but has instead morphed into an ugly authoritarianism.”
Among may examples related to the biological sex binary, Maroja explains how “it has become taboo in the classroom to note any disparities between groups that are not explained as the result of systemic bias.”
One of the more startling developments is the ostensible banning of certain research— “The NIH now puts barriers to access to the important database of Genotypes and Phenotypes (dbGaP)’… [which] is essential for scientists who want to understand genes and genetic pathways that are behind those phenotypes. The NIH now denies scientists access to this data and other related datasets. Researchers report getting permits denied on the grounds that studying their genetic basis is ‘stigmatizing.’”
Related: The Science of Freedom: a Conversation with Anna Krylov (AFA, 8/1/22)
