New territory: Left v. Science?

[Brian Jordan]

I was amazed to come across this article in the Spectator, where Toby Young argues that the Left is liable to attack scientists who contradict some of its established beliefs. (Sound familiar?)
It relates to an anthropologist who dismissed the idea of the Noble Savage, saying humans come like us - fighting, stealing, and such - without being subjected to capitalism and the like. For that, a man's career was destroyed and only redeemed by a noble advocate.
A belated New Year competition, perhaps: can you come up with any aspect of chemistry or physics that might be similarly politically incorrect? (No biology please, we don't know whether the Left is pro the poor beleaguered creationists.)
http://www.spectator.co.uk/2016/01/the-lefts-own-war-on-science/

[Roger Stanyard]

I was amazed to come across this article in the Spectator, where Toby Young argues that the Left is liable to attack scientists who contradict some of its established beliefs. (Sound familiar?)
It relates to an anthropologist who dismissed the idea of the Noble Savage, saying humans come like us - fighting, stealing, and such - without being subjected to capitalism and the like. For that, a man's career was destroyed and only redeemed by a noble advocate.
A belated New Year competition, perhaps: can you come up with any aspect of chemistry or physics that might be similarly politically incorrect? (No biology please, we don't know whether the Left is pro the poor beleaguered creationists.)
http://www.spectator.co.uk/2016/01/the-lefts-own-war-on-science/

Toby Young's article seems to be a staw man. As far as I am aware, nobody has believed in the idea of the noble savage for years and years. Margaret Meade's work as an anthropologist was long ago seriously debunked.

[jon_12091]

I'm fairly certain the 'green' movement may have a few skeletons in its closet - but these will be issues of interpretation rather than direct distortion or falsication of results.