The Rise of Taboos in Science & Limits to Academic Freedom

The Michael Shermer Show # 457

Elizabeth Weiss, a professor of anthropology, discusses how cancel culture and identity politics have corrupted science. She shares her personal experiences with cancel culture and the challenges she faced in academia.

These include an attempt to bar “menstruating personnel” from the curation facility, a campaign to ban research on ancient Carthaginian remains because the individuals concerned never consented to photography, and a plan to declare X-rays sacred, so that they can be repatriated to Native Americans prior to being burned or buried.

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[YTHayward]

Thank you Ms Elisabeth Weiss for your work and your bravery.

[paints_his_shirt_red]

Thanks for this. This retired aging archaeologist is having a hard time believing that this is going on.

[SanfoormlaQ]

Very alarming. Even more so that scientists are bending to it to protect their livelihoods. Would've imagined more guts.

[SuperHuia]

The same is happening in New Zealand....indigenous mythology being taught as science in schools. Scientists in universities beginning certain seminars with a Karakia (a Maori pray).
And no one dare talk about how they feel about the risk of cancellation.

[Devonian]

Who makes these decisions? What are their names? What are their jobs? How did they get to positions of power? Who pays them? Can they be questioned?

[burgercide]

As a blind person I can assure you that I couldn't care less what hairstyle a speaker has. Unless it's a man bun.

[DeconvertedMan]

I know why they want people fired, because they have no argument and are bitter that you are doing well and being right and have the truth.

[TheeJosephSantos]

Love the guest and the talk. Thanks, Mike. 🍻

[winstongibson]

My eyes are getting strained from all the rolling. I hate the term woke, but I also detest caving to mythology.

[howardwinet]

Tried to get a discussion group for Cancel culture in science established on the Sigma Xi member website. Lack of interest and defense of DEI were the dominant responses.

[we]

Limiting a woman's occupation because of her menstruation would be a denial of equal protection under the U.S. Constitution. And forcing her to reveal her health status could be a violation of HIPAA laws.

[fabiolemos]

Great chat! I follow this channel and work for a while. Is there a version of your channel with Portuguese subtitles?

Many topics on this channel are very much relevant to Brasil.

[crypticnomad]

Taboos and dogmatism aren't really anything new to academia. I can think of several examples in the past, as well as at least two current examples, where the broader academic consensus is not actually based on empirical evidence but rather on entrenched positions. In the end, I think this will continue to be a problem due to human nature and a mix of three things: dogmatism/tribalism, collective illusions, and fear of not being accepted within the in-group. I'm not including specific examples here because, in my experience, discussing these specific points often leads to debates that resemble arguments with devoutly religious individuals. The focus, for me, is on the broader pattern rather than on any particular case.

[MellieLane]

'The native peoples are sovereign therefor they cannot be sued' Good!

[tthompson]

We hardly ever hear about those people doing the canceling, only the victims. Maybe if they were better known they could be held up to questioning and perhaps ridicule e.g. Claudine Gay

[hueyiroquois]

I always thought that science involved forming hypotheses based on evidence and testing those hypotheses based on further evidence. Does all this mean that anthropology is no longer a science, or is this the equivalent of what creationists say about evolution?

[jonathanedwardgibson]

It is not good men doing nothing helps evil, but to give good men good salaries and they say nothing.

[homewall]

Believe in The Science. Obey your rulers.

[sprinkle]

It's ironic that those tasked with the study of taboos should be laboring under a doozy of their own.

[OceanusHelios]

Oh brother. What are we crybabying about today? Oh the same thing we crybaby about everyday.