Why Evolution is True is a blog written by Jerry Coyne, centered on evolution and biology but also dealing with diverse topics like politics, culture, and cats.
I am sad to report the death on Sunday of Robert Nola (born 1940), a retired philosophy professor from the University of Auckland and one of the “Satanic Seven” involved in the kerfuffle about the Listener Letter—a letter he signed with six others arguing that while Mātauranga Māori, or Māori “ways of knowing”, should be … Continue reading RIP Robert Nola
As I’ve written before (see here), philosopher Robert Nola and his Auckland University colleague Garth Cooper were “investigated” by New Zealands Royal Society (RSNZ) after they and five others co-signed a letter to a popular magazine-like site, The Listener, arguing that Mātauranga Māori (MM), the indigenous Māori “ways of knowing,, should not be taught as co-equal … Continue reading Why Robert Nola quit New Zealand’s Royal Society
For a while now I’ve been discussing the row in New Zealand about whether indigenous “ways of knowing”, Mātauranga Māori (“MM” for short), should be given equal treatment in the science classroom to modern science. The short answer for those with any neurons is “no”. While MM does comprise some “practical knowledge” like how and … Continue reading Nola and Cooper resign from New Zealand’s Royal Society after being exculpated for criticizing indigenous “ways of knowing” as “science”
Just a short note about what’s going on with the Royal Society of New Zealand’s Inquisition. As you may recall seven professors at the University of Auckland wrote a letter to a magazine called The Listener objecting to the government’s and universities’ plans to teach mātauranga Māori , or “Maori ways of knowing” as coequal to science … Continue reading The Royal Society of New Zealand takes down its statement damning the Satanic Seven
I’ve explained several times that two members of the Royal Society of New Zealand (RSNZ), philosopher Robert Nola and biochemist Garth Cooper (distinguished members of their trade), resigned from the RSNZ after a recent investigation cleared them of being miscreants after criticizing the government’s initiative to teach Mātauranga Māori (MM), or Māori “ways of knowing”, … Continue reading Garth Cooper explains why he resigned from New Zealand’s Royal Society
I don’t want to recount the whole story about how seven professors at Auckland University, three of them members of the Royal Society of New Zealand (RSNZ), wrote a letter to a magazine (“The Listener”) questioning whether Maori “ways of knowing” (Mātauranga Māori, or “MM”) should be taught along with and coequal to science, as … Continue reading The Royal Society of New Zealand blows off those complaining about its treatment of the Satanic Seven; refuses to apologize for mistreating them
Every few weeks something pops up in the news about Mātauranga Māori (henceforth “MM”), the collection of “ways of knowing” that comprise the Māori heritage in New Zealand passed among generations. MM includes myths, superstition, legend (MM is explicitly creationist), morality, the assertion that everything in the world is meaningfully connected to everything else, but … Continue reading Advocates of indigenous “ways of knowing” declare them coequal to Western agriculture, poised to ask for equal funding
Here’s a bit more (and I’m not done yet) about the fight to teach valid science in New Zealand rather than teach valid science in science class as coequal with indigenous “ways of knowing.” The Royal Society of New Zealand has the formal name “Royal Society of New Zealand Te Apārangi”, with the last two words … Continue reading Some correspondence and a statement from from the Royal Society of New Zealand about “ways of knowing” and cancellation
From what I hear from my Kiwi friends in academia, some of whom keep publicly quiet about these developments given the political climate, the government and universities in New Zealand are standing firm in their resolve to teach mātauranga Māori, or “Maori ways of knowing” alongside and coequal to modern (i.e., real) science in both … Continue reading New Zealand authorities stand firm in desire to teach Maori “ways of knowing” alongside science in high schools and colleges
As I’ve noted before, seven professors at the University of Auckland signed a letter in the weekly magazine The Listener that criticized the governments’ and universities’ plans to teach the indigenous Māori “way of knowing,” mātauranga Māori, as equivalent to modern science, though the Māori “way of knowing” includes elements of the supernatural, myths, some … Continue reading Royal Society of New Zealand responds to complaints about investigations of its fellows’ free speech; and two science-supporting academics apparently get punished for their free speech
