Duke University professor John Staddon discusses the “decolonisation of science” in the modern era. He argues that the focus on group disparities in social justice, assuming uniformity among individuals, leads to the problematic belief that all disparities are solely due to factors like racism or sexism, rather than acknowledging inherent differences between groups.
“Somehow, social pressure pushing identity politics over meritocracy has been building over the years, to the point that an article on the virtues of merit in science, co-authored by many eminent scientists, could only be published in the Journal of Controversial ideas,” he says.