Post by Kiwi Frontline on Apr 29, 2018 6:33:09 GMT 12
Letters to Ed. (Sent to the NZ Herald 23/4/18)
The Royal Society wants scientific researchers to consult with Maori.
I can see some positive gains here.
As I age walking up hill has become a problem. Maybe the Maori scientists could tinker with gravity a bit?
They could also intervene on the effect of wind on the sea. If the sea was less choppy maybe I could go fishing more often.
MURRAY REID, Tuakau
Dear Editor, (Sent to the NZ Herald 21/4/18)
Anne Salmond (Herald, 21/4/18) displays her ignorance of science, which transcends all cultures and nationalities.
Modern science just happened to be born in Western Europe.
Hitler and Stalin tried to establish “German” and “Soviet” science and both failed.
Chinese science was solely empirical and came to a dead end.
I myself have taught modern physics to Tibetans at the Institute of Buddhist Dialectics in Dharamsala, India because the Dalai Lama recognized that classic Tibetan culture was deficient in that respect, albeit offering profound insights on other aspects of being human.
No reputable scientist claims that any culture “has a monopoly on human wisdom” of which modern science is but one vital part. And “complementarity”, not Anne’s “complimentary” is not exclusive to quantum physics. The wave and particle properties of light provide another example.
Bohr’s “tai chi” symbol was neat but not science.
The Royal Society of New Zealand has lost its way; bogged down in the morass of political correctness.
BRUCE MOON Fellow, Institute of Physics (UK) Honorary Fellow, Information Technology Professionals (NZ), NELSON
Dear Editor (Sent to the NZ Herald 20/4/18)
Jeff Hayward (“Divisive Schools 20/4/18) claims charter schools are teaching religion or ideology. Whether that be true or not, it’s certainly not restricted to private schools. Our public system is full of religious ideology, but couched in PC terms that we must never question.
The new ‘Code of Professional Responsibility’ requires all teachers to encourage critical thinking, except not where it comes to “te ai Maori (Maori world view)”. They must “ learn, use and demonstrate respect for Maori beliefs, language, culture and customary protocols, histories, heritages.”
If a teacher’s educated world view leads her to classify taniwha as mythology, for example, she could be had up for “dismissing or belittling Maori cultural or spiritual beliefs, or making derogatory comments about te ai Maori”. Then the teacher would really be getting into Mao’s cultural revolutionary mode, having to “engage in critical inquiry to evaluate the effectiveness of her teaching”.
Combine this with prayers in te reo and it suggests a fairly devout religion to me.
FIONA MACKENZIE, Whangaparaoa
sites.google.com/site/kiwifrontline/letters-submitted-to-newspapers/unpublished-letters
The Royal Society wants scientific researchers to consult with Maori.
I can see some positive gains here.
As I age walking up hill has become a problem. Maybe the Maori scientists could tinker with gravity a bit?
They could also intervene on the effect of wind on the sea. If the sea was less choppy maybe I could go fishing more often.
MURRAY REID, Tuakau
Dear Editor, (Sent to the NZ Herald 21/4/18)
Anne Salmond (Herald, 21/4/18) displays her ignorance of science, which transcends all cultures and nationalities.
Modern science just happened to be born in Western Europe.
Hitler and Stalin tried to establish “German” and “Soviet” science and both failed.
Chinese science was solely empirical and came to a dead end.
I myself have taught modern physics to Tibetans at the Institute of Buddhist Dialectics in Dharamsala, India because the Dalai Lama recognized that classic Tibetan culture was deficient in that respect, albeit offering profound insights on other aspects of being human.
No reputable scientist claims that any culture “has a monopoly on human wisdom” of which modern science is but one vital part. And “complementarity”, not Anne’s “complimentary” is not exclusive to quantum physics. The wave and particle properties of light provide another example.
Bohr’s “tai chi” symbol was neat but not science.
The Royal Society of New Zealand has lost its way; bogged down in the morass of political correctness.
BRUCE MOON Fellow, Institute of Physics (UK) Honorary Fellow, Information Technology Professionals (NZ), NELSON
Dear Editor (Sent to the NZ Herald 20/4/18)
Jeff Hayward (“Divisive Schools 20/4/18) claims charter schools are teaching religion or ideology. Whether that be true or not, it’s certainly not restricted to private schools. Our public system is full of religious ideology, but couched in PC terms that we must never question.
The new ‘Code of Professional Responsibility’ requires all teachers to encourage critical thinking, except not where it comes to “te ai Maori (Maori world view)”. They must “ learn, use and demonstrate respect for Maori beliefs, language, culture and customary protocols, histories, heritages.”
If a teacher’s educated world view leads her to classify taniwha as mythology, for example, she could be had up for “dismissing or belittling Maori cultural or spiritual beliefs, or making derogatory comments about te ai Maori”. Then the teacher would really be getting into Mao’s cultural revolutionary mode, having to “engage in critical inquiry to evaluate the effectiveness of her teaching”.
Combine this with prayers in te reo and it suggests a fairly devout religion to me.
FIONA MACKENZIE, Whangaparaoa
sites.google.com/site/kiwifrontline/letters-submitted-to-newspapers/unpublished-letters