CibbuanoViolating the Universality of Science
June 19th 2006 12:16
Science, threatened by politics
As of July 1 2006, it will be illegal for scientists from state-funded institutes in Florida to travel to Cuba, Iran, Iraq, Libya, North Korea and Sudan.
South Florida news site Sun-Sentinel quoted politician David Rivera as saying: "I don't think Florida taxpayers want their public resources being used to subsidize trips to terrorist countries. We're engaged in a hot war against terror." Rivera had previously tried to pass the legislation two years ago.
Predictably, the proposal was not met too kindly by academics. The draconian law has been faced with an onslaught of criticisms including “restrictive”, “embarrassing”, “outrageous” and “a joke”. According to an article on SciDev.net, “the law will impede efforts to learn about Cuba's agriculture, ecology and marine environment, which all have potentially significant effects on Florida's economy”.
Houman Sadri, a political-science professor specialising in foreign policy and relations in the Middle East from the University of Central Florida told Sun-Sentinel: “This is one of those instances where they're trying to be more Catholic than the pope. Everyone in this country is for apple pie and their mothers. It's the same with counter-terrorism. There's no constituency against it."
Last week, the Miami Herald reported that on the plans of Florida's American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) to legally challenge the new law. 'It's not in the overall interest of the United States for individual states to meddle in matters of foreign affairs and international security,'' said ACLU spokesman Brandon Hensler. The “unconstitutional” law may hamper education in Florida.
Furthermore, the law violates the principle of the Universality of Science, as defined by the International Council of Science (ICSU). The ICSU writes that “Science is a co-operative exercise that thrives on open international interaction and exchange.
“It transcends national boundaries. In this sense, science is universal and when this universality is infringed or impeded it can have serious consequences for science and for society more broadly.”
Perhaps it would do us good to look beyond our temporary little wars and towards technological advance for a better future instead.
Let’s pray this foolishness ends at Florida and never approaches Australian law…
(image by Colin Gregory Palmer)
| 60 |
| Vote |
Subscribe to this blog
