4 ms·

Being a scientist doesn't preclude having empathy. Presenting data and drawing conclusions is fine. You just don't have to be a dick about it.

adamrezich 8y ago
How would you have changed the talk or slides to have corrected for this?
- simonrobb 8y ago
  I think the selection of studies was somewhat myopic, and I thought his reasoning was flawed, so I'd change that. But honestly I wouldn't have so much of a problem if he presented the same thing anywhere other than a conference for encouraging women into science. If I were any one of those women, I would have walked away discouraged and hurt.
jbob2000 8y ago
Would you have called Galileo the same thing?
- simonrobb 8y ago
  Galileo maybe isn't the best example, since his reputation seems to (as I understand it) be massively overblown in an enduring myth. But I think the question you're asking is: am I critical of him because it's fashionable today to push feminism with blinkers on? And would I still do so in 50 years, if today he sparked a mens' rights revolution? Let's not assign this guy mythical status preemptively. There have always been loud points of view; some of them haven't held up with time, others have. We usually forget the ones that haven't, unless they managed to really hurt people along the way. To put it another way, just because you take a loud contrary position on a political or social issue, doesn't mean you're right. I actually do applaud him for standing up for something, but my admiration only goes that far. You can present your point of view while trying to minimize the collateral damage. You can also be aware of your own fallibility. If Galileo burst into Catholic prayer to proclaim the church was wrong and he was right, yeah, I'd call him a bit of a dick. What does he hope to achieve, by choosing the forum that is most disrespectful of others?
  - jbob2000 8y ago
    Considering the prevalence of the church and its properties at the time, there really was no “correct” forum for Galileo to promote his findings - everywhere is disrespectful! He was pushed out of every forum he went to. This guy has the same problem - you will always just tell him he’s in the wrong place.
    - simonrobb 8y ago
      Well no. You're assuming a lot about me. I've expressed an opinion on exactly one place which I think is wrong. You're probably right Galileo didn't have a platform, but you're the one drawing that comparison, not me. Do you really think he has the same problem, in the age of the Internet? In another comment below I've suggested other, more respectful, platforms: "Blogs/journals/conferences not specifically for supporting women/editorials/radio shows/record a podcast. Write a manifesto for crying out loud."
      - deleted 8y ago
        [deleted]
    - krainboltgreene 8y ago
      > there really was no “correct” forum for Galileo to promote his findings Just FYI, the church hosted him tons. The Pope read his work and liked it. Your understanding of history is so incredibly flawed it actually shows how much you're wrong about your understanding of this topic as well.
      - AnimalMuppet 8y ago
        > Your understanding of history is so incredibly flawed it actually shows how much you're wrong about your understanding of this topic as well. Um, no. It doesn't show any such thing.

adamrezich 8y ago

How would you have changed the talk or slides to have corrected for this?

simonrobb 8y ago
I think the selection of studies was somewhat myopic, and I thought his reasoning was flawed, so I'd change that. But honestly I wouldn't have so much of a problem if he presented the same thing anywhere other than a conference for encouraging women into science. If I were any one of those women, I would have walked away discouraged and hurt.

jbob2000 8y ago

Would you have called Galileo the same thing?

simonrobb 8y ago
Galileo maybe isn't the best example, since his reputation seems to (as I understand it) be massively overblown in an enduring myth. But I think the question you're asking is: am I critical of him because it's fashionable today to push feminism with blinkers on? And would I still do so in 50 years, if today he sparked a mens' rights revolution? Let's not assign this guy mythical status preemptively. There have always been loud points of view; some of them haven't held up with time, others have. We usually forget the ones that haven't, unless they managed to really hurt people along the way. To put it another way, just because you take a loud contrary position on a political or social issue, doesn't mean you're right. I actually do applaud him for standing up for something, but my admiration only goes that far. You can present your point of view while trying to minimize the collateral damage. You can also be aware of your own fallibility. If Galileo burst into Catholic prayer to proclaim the church was wrong and he was right, yeah, I'd call him a bit of a dick. What does he hope to achieve, by choosing the forum that is most disrespectful of others?
- jbob2000 8y ago
  Considering the prevalence of the church and its properties at the time, there really was no “correct” forum for Galileo to promote his findings - everywhere is disrespectful! He was pushed out of every forum he went to. This guy has the same problem - you will always just tell him he’s in the wrong place.
  - simonrobb 8y ago
    Well no. You're assuming a lot about me. I've expressed an opinion on exactly one place which I think is wrong. You're probably right Galileo didn't have a platform, but you're the one drawing that comparison, not me. Do you really think he has the same problem, in the age of the Internet? In another comment below I've suggested other, more respectful, platforms: "Blogs/journals/conferences not specifically for supporting women/editorials/radio shows/record a podcast. Write a manifesto for crying out loud."
    - deleted 8y ago
      [deleted]
  - krainboltgreene 8y ago
    > there really was no “correct” forum for Galileo to promote his findings Just FYI, the church hosted him tons. The Pope read his work and liked it. Your understanding of history is so incredibly flawed it actually shows how much you're wrong about your understanding of this topic as well.
    - AnimalMuppet 8y ago
      > Your understanding of history is so incredibly flawed it actually shows how much you're wrong about your understanding of this topic as well. Um, no. It doesn't show any such thing.