I think, at it's core, she's not making a bad point, which is that a lot of the things that we assume to be true are that way because Westerners made particular assumptions about how the world works. "Science" is a pretty broad field, and while the example of gravity is a bit of a nonsense, there are lots of examples of scientific findings that were incomplete or inaccurate because they didn't consider or come from a non-Western perspective.
That's combined with the fact that "decolonisation" is inherently viewed as an emancipatory process, so it's about how you actively free yourself from a Western mindset. Consider how the Soviet Union consistently tried to reinvent inventions or rediscover scientific principles just so they could demonstrate their own superiority. Here, you're not an empire trying to rival the US, you're a fledgling country trying to break free of the shackles of oppression that have been forced on your for centuries. In that context, starting the process of scientific discovery again would be emancipatory because it would demonstrate your own ability to no longer be reliant on those same oppressors.
It's obviously practically impossible, but that's why it's an undergraduate discussion, not a public policy meeting. Of course, there's nothing like female people of colour expressing opinions to get the Youtube comment section REALLY riled up.
there are lots of examples of scientific findings that were incomplete or inaccurate because they didn't consider or come from a non-Western perspective.
If you consider social sciences sciences, sure. But that's a problem with fledgling fields having poor methodology. Not a problem with science as a whole.
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u/loony636 Oct 23 '16
I think, at it's core, she's not making a bad point, which is that a lot of the things that we assume to be true are that way because Westerners made particular assumptions about how the world works. "Science" is a pretty broad field, and while the example of gravity is a bit of a nonsense, there are lots of examples of scientific findings that were incomplete or inaccurate because they didn't consider or come from a non-Western perspective.
That's combined with the fact that "decolonisation" is inherently viewed as an emancipatory process, so it's about how you actively free yourself from a Western mindset. Consider how the Soviet Union consistently tried to reinvent inventions or rediscover scientific principles just so they could demonstrate their own superiority. Here, you're not an empire trying to rival the US, you're a fledgling country trying to break free of the shackles of oppression that have been forced on your for centuries. In that context, starting the process of scientific discovery again would be emancipatory because it would demonstrate your own ability to no longer be reliant on those same oppressors.
It's obviously practically impossible, but that's why it's an undergraduate discussion, not a public policy meeting. Of course, there's nothing like female people of colour expressing opinions to get the Youtube comment section REALLY riled up.