Activism in Academia

"You're not a scientist; you're an activist." This is what academic researchers are commonly confronted with when raising their voices on controversial issues, such as the planetary emergency. Are scientists allowed to be activistic? Can they actually avoid it? And aren't we eventually all activists; as we all contribute to the shaping of our future, independent of whether we do so actively or let go passively? Questions like those are addressed in this impulse statement by Prof. Dr. Sebastian Seiffert, made at a round table discussion on Activism in Academia at the Gutenberg Academy of Mainz University on May 24, 2023.

[@astartegarnett3353]

You’re doing amazing!

[@MartinHundhausen]

Thank you for these clear statements!

[@honigschlecker1]

I saw the danger of weakening the science back in the summer 2020. During the pandemic, imho science was widely ignored (just one specific field of medicine: virology was present for a long time), media and government played a dangerous game there. And than the role of Karl Lauterbach... Spreading misinformation for two years straight (since 2021), not acknowledging the uncertainties. That's how not to do science - I hope, at least. Still love science - but it has become so much harder to trust the results.