Revisiting science and colonialism
DOI: 10.1063/PT.3.5282
Seth replies: I am afraid that Muhammad Sahimi has rather misconstrued the point of my commentary . My aim was not to defend, let alone “glorify,” the evils of colonialism by linking it with science, but rather to better characterize the nature of modern scientific work. Despite decades of scholarship, many people persist in seeing science—or, at least, “good” science—as a largely apolitical and decontextualized endeavor. Making obvious the fact that modern science could not have existed without connections to multiple devastating colonial projects and that those colonial projects often rested on scientific advancements seemed to be a straightforward way to refute that belief.
More about the authors
Suman Seth, (ss536@cornell.edu) Cornell University, Ithaca, New York.
