Galileo's middle finger
by Alice Domurat Dreger · first published 2015
83% recommend17% neutral
Why HN recommends it
Argues that science and dogma often clash and that politicizing science is hypocritical; a readable survey of activism and scientific controversy, recommended as a primer for anyone curious about these conflicts.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
"An investigation of some of the most contentious debates of our time, Galileo's Middle Finger describes Alice Dreger's experiences on the front lines of scientific controversy, where for two decades she has worked as an advocate for victims of unethical research while also defending the right of scientists to pursue challenging research into human identities. Dreger's own attempts to reconcile academic freedom with the pursuit of justice grew out of her research into the treatment of people born intersex (formerly called hermaphrodites). The shocking history of surgical mutilation and ethical
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That's a very convenient and self-congratulatory view of things. Science denialism happens on both the left and the right. The book Galileo's Middle Finger: Heretics, Activists, and One Scholar's Search for Justice, by Alice Dreger gives a good survey of the terrain.
on “We’re losing the information war” ↗I suggest you pick up and read "Galileo's Middle Finger" [1] by Alice Dreger. In short it points to hypocrisy when dogma and science collide. When your worldview is shattered by actual science and how we can be better people by not politicizing science only…
on “Seattle’s higher minimum wage is actually working fine” ↗Please define “woman”. This is not sarcasm. What you’ve generally been taught about the binariness of these terms is an oversimplification to say the least, and wrong. Read Galileo’s Middle Finger as an excellent primer.
on ““Pregnant Women”” ↗…consequences in professional settings. Sort of like Galileo did? Sometimes the societal norms of what is considered "ignorant" are wrong. If you haven't come across it, I would highly recommend the book Galileo's Middle Finger. It was written by a lefty who started her career as an activist fighting for the humane treatment of intersex people (a marginalized group). But later in her career she discovered lots of people who…
on “Some Facebook Employees Unite to Challenge Its ‘Intolerant’ Liberal Culture” ↗…people who produce usable advances in mankind tend to be jerks. I suspect this relationship has held up over centuries. cf Socrates and the Sophists, etc. (A good book among many along these lines is "Galileo's Middle Finger")
on “The Origins of Wokeness” ↗The Fateful Hoaxing of Margaret Mead: A Historical Analysis of Her Samoan Research was challenged by academics too https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Margaret_Mead#Criticism_by_Der... i.e. In her 2015 book Galileo's Middle Finger, Alice Dreger argues that Freeman's accusations were unfounded and misleading. A detailed review of the controversy by Paul Shankman, published by the University of Wisconsin Press in 2009, supports the…
on “Margaret Mead's LSD Memo” ↗