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| Caster Semenya |
According to Western science, what has
been discovered, researched and recorded about the natural world
should be regarded as factual evidence. In Western society, science
is highly respected because it is thought to be information which is "value-neutral". This means that the values of those conducting
the research should not interfere with the final results of the
information being collected. Science is seen as something that
reveals the truth about the world, something that cannot change.
Culture, on the other hand, is accepted as something which shifts and
changes with humans and their values, over time and around the world.
In fact, like culture, science also changes as new theories are
introduced, new methods are attempted, and yet Western science sees
the two worlds as completely divided.
For
centuries, scientists have been searching for ways to prove
the supposed "inherent"
differences between genders through scientific research, without
acknowledging the relevant social implications of the time in which
the research was being conducted. This kind of research has been done
not only to prove gender differences, but also the differences
between "races" and sexual orientations, amongst so many other things. Much of the information which
has been collected in Western science has been done by predominately
White, Western men, and of course has always been subject to their
opinions, values and context. This information, taken from a single worldview, is then declared "knowledge", "fact", "truth". Ultimately it is they who would benefit
from this type of research as they give themselves an opportunity to
prove their superiority over whom they wish. For this reason it is
especially important to know the history of science. If science is
meant to be regarded as truth, yet we also know that it is not nearly
as "value-neutral" as it should be, then we must carefully
reconsider the "truths" which have been taught to us about our
natural world. Otherwise we will continue to perpetuate simplistic understandings of human beings, while we are certainly quite the opposite.
If you know the Caster Semenya case, you'll understand the joke I posted above and how this relates to what I wrote.
@LoveKaruna (Twitter)
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