I am in New Zealand at the climax of my speech tour at the Antipodes. Jacinda Ardern’s government has implemented a ridiculous policy created by the Ministry of Education before Chris Hipkins became prime minister. Science classes should be taught that the Māori ‘how to know’ (Mātauranga Māori) is on a par with ‘Western’ science. Not surprisingly, this adolescent signal of virtue terrified adult New Zealand scientists and scholars.seven of them he listener magazine. Three of his fellow Fellows of the New Zealand Royal Society were threatened with interrogation. Two of his resigned (the third sadly died), including Garth Cooper, a prominent medical scientist and Māori descendant. I had the pleasure of having lunch with Professor Cooper. His resignation cited society’s lack of support for science against its slander as a “Western European invention”. He was also insulted by a complaint (not sanctioned by the NZRS) that “persisting Maori children to learn to read is an act of colonization”. Is there a condescending, if not downright racist, implication that the children of ” need different special treatment?
Perhaps the most jarring aspect of this unfortunate incident is the atmosphere of terror. Those of us who don’t have a career to lose should speak up to defend a career to lose. branded as a heretic by a new religion. Professor Kendall Clements was removed from teaching evolution at the University of Auckland after the Phutaiao Committee of the Department of Biological Sciences put forward the following recommendations: This is not safe for students…” safetyWho are these rumpled little wimps who need free speech protection for their “safety”? What the hell are they thinking of college for?
Every third word in the relevant document is in Māori, making it a little trickier to figure out the government’s intentions. With only 2 percent of New Zealanders (and just 5 percent of Maori) speaking the language, this again seems like a self-righteous virtue cue, kneeling down to a modern version of the original sin that is white guilt. Bend the Mātauranga Māori contains valuable tips on edible mushrooms, star navigation, and species protection (it’s a shame the moa was all eaten). Unfortunately, it’s deeply invested in vitalism. The children of New Zealand are taught the true wonders of DNA while simultaneously confused by the doctrine that all life beats with the life force given by the Mother of Earth and the Father of Sky. Myths of origin are haunting and poetic, but they belong elsewhere in the curriculum. The very term “Western” science embraces the “relativist” idea that evolution and the Big Bang cosmology are nothing more than white male origin myths in the West. This is harmful nonsense. Science belongs to all mankind. It’s humanity’s best shot at discovering the truth of the real world.
My speeches in Auckland and Wellington were warmly applauded, but one woman raised her voice in protest. She was politely invited to participate, but she decided to do so instead. When asked what my favorite country is, I always choose New Zealand. Citing the legacy of Ernest Rutherford, the greatest experimental physicist since Faraday, he pleaded with the audience to reach out to MPs to support science in New Zealand. The real reason science is more than a myth of origin is because it is evidence-based. Masses of documented evidence, double-blind studies, peer-reviewed, and quantitative predictions accurately validated in laboratories around the world. Science reads the billion-word DNA book of life itself. Science eradicates smallpox and polio. Science navigates to Pluto or a small comet. Science almost certainly saved your life. Science works.
Flight Afterword: Air New Zealand thinks it’s a cute idea to call on the Maori gods during the safety briefing. Imagine British Airways announcing that their planes are kept aloft by the Holy Spirit in an equal partnership with Bernoulli’s Principle and Newton’s First Laws. Science explains. brightens our darkness. Science is the poetry of reality. It belongs to all mankind. Kia Ora!