It's a Battlefield Out There, Culturally Speaking byEdward Rothstein (FWD from NY Times)

Jim heartfield jim at heartfield.demon.co.uk
Tue Dec 8 13:54:19 PST 1998


In message <s66d30e0.026 at mail.ci.detroit.mi.us>, Charles Brown <CharlesB at CNCL.ci.detroit.mi.us> writes


>But to be blunt and to the point, some
>of the objectivity of the sciences developed
>especially in Europe in the last 500 years or
>so is demonstrated by the expansion of
>European culture and system (bourgeoisdom)
>all over the world.


> Eurocentric world
>dominance cannot be overcome
>without sublating the current
>European worldview, including
>the modern ,natural sciences.

I thought this by Charles was particularly well put.

I'm often infuriated by the argument that somehow science is inherently 'western'. This is an attitude that mirrors the Eurocentric prejudice that those ignorant folk sitting in darkness won't understand modern science, and could not be expected to work a complex machine or handle a vaccine syringe.

On the news tonight the BBC reports that a vaccination against meningitis developed in Cuba is being tested for the UK. The vaccine has apparently wiped out meningitis in Cuba, a disease that is still a big killer in Britain.

Who says science is necessarily the property of the West? -- Jim heartfield



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