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>JWST already has a name, they can't undo that association, even if they change the name. To the technical people who're already interested perhaps, but the ge
by garblegarble 5y ago
>JWST already has a name, they can't undo that association, even if they change the name.
To the technical people who're already interested perhaps, but the general public won't have that association.
It seems valid not to glorify people who were involved in atrocities (perhaps overstating things in this case, I've not looked into it - but as a general point) from the past.
Personally I can't see them deciding to rename it, but I don't think it's silly for them to consider it, and if they did I wouldn't be bothered... just get the thing launched so we can do more science!
- Beached 5y agothe issue is that every has skeletons in their closet. if you go by that mentality, you can never name anything after anyone. you can never celebrate people's accomplishments ever, because that person will have ALWAYS also had something bad in their life.
- garblegarble 5y agoI understand the point you're making and I'm sympathetic to it, and the knee-jerk reaction that people who do anything seriously bad are irredeemable - but I think there's a distinct difference between the different "skeletons on their closet" that makes it not the slippery slope you're worried about. There will be plenty of figures for whom "something bad" is just generally being rude/an asshole their whole life, for example - and that's quite different from actively furthering the systematic persecution of people based on something they can't control like who they love.