Science and Activism

Viewpoint

Does campaigning for social change have a place in the scientific identity?

Last September, I was one of 400,000 participants in the People's Climate March in New York City. It was the largest march I had ever attended, though it wasn't my first foray into activism. For more than two years I'd been working with students, university faculty and others to build the fossil fuel divestment campaign at Harvard University.

Being a scientist and an activist is often seen as an unusual combination—many scientists see a conflict between the two identities. Some colleagues have told me that they will not engage in activism because they believe it will undermine their objectivity. Others have cautioned me to distance myself from activism when acting as a scientist and vice versa....

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