Evaluation of Science Ethics
There are many ethical decisions that need to be factored in when striving for scientific advancement and new discoveries about the universe. Most of the time scientists believe they can invade areas of interest and conduct experiments without thinking of other’s beliefs or values. A major example of this happening recently is with the creation of the Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT) on Mauna Kea’s peak in the Native Hawaiian lands and protests have been ongoing for the past two months. Even though the scientists have good intentions with the research, it’s important to take situations like this serious and to come to a compromise with the native Hawaiians because the mistakes that have been made in the past to do whatever it takes in order to make a scientific discovery. For instances similar to this in the future, it is important to acknowledge what the costs are in order to conduct this research, so everyone is happy with the arrangement.
To this day, there are approximately thirteen telescopes that already operate on Mauna Kea and the natives seem to be very upset with the building of another. “Hawaiians consider Mauna Kea sacred for numerous reasons. The mountain is known as the home to Wakea, the sky god, who partnered with Papahanaumoku, the earth goddess. Protesters hope to protect and help restore the native ecosystem on Mauna Kea” (The Guardian). One other aspect that is worth considering in this situation as to why Hawaiian activists are acting the way they are is because they have already been oppressed for years and it’s a valuable point for these people to protest in order to save a sacred place.
The Smithsonian magazine article goes in depth about how the natives feel about TMT and how many of them believe they are experiencing colonialism as they once did in the past. The author goes on to explain that we should all decolonize science by giving credit to achievements and the future of scientists from different backgrounds. “By decolonizing science, the scientific community is attempting to remove the inequalities, and make sure science is for the better good of the people” (SmithsonianMag). A simple solution to this problem is showing respect and sympathy for the native Hawaiians by showing no signs of superiority in the cultures between the two very different beliefs.
There have been many instances in science in which there was a lack of empathy and respect toward other cultures in order to achieve a discovery. Ethics is a big factor when considering projects like this because what’s the point of making discoveries for the good of humanity if things like this mountain are taken over. In terms of the TMT project, it should be apparent that it’s necessary to reconsider the native Hawaiian’s request and possibly reason with them to create a solution that makes both sides happy. That way, the scientists can build the TMT to make scientific discoveries and the natives will have their sacred mountain that’s very important to their culture. The main questions to consider this deal are if the scientists are willing to relocate the location of the telescope or if this specific spot is needed and see if the Hawaiians are happy with the new arrangement.
References:
- Phys.org, Giant Hawaii telescope to focus on big unknowns of universe, 2019: https://phys.org/news/2019-07-giant-hawaii-telescope-focus-big.html
- The Guardian, A new Hawaiian Renaissance’: how a telescope protest became a movement, 2019: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/aug/16/hawaii-telescope-protest-mauna-kea
- Smithsonian Magazine, Science Still Bears the Fingerprints of Colonialism, 2018: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/science-bears-fingerprints-colonialism-180968709/
