Working together on issues
Royal Society of New Zealand president Richard Bedford replies to Catalyst columnist Bob Brockie’s claims last week that in funding the humanities it has ‘naively embraced a cabal of anti-scientists to its bosom’.
Contrary to Bob Brockie’s comments in his Catalyst column (July 25), the Royal Society of New Zealand has long included the humanities in its mandate.
In 1867 the New Zealand Institute (later renamed the Royal Society of New Zealand) was founded to ‘‘promote the general study and cultivation of the various branches and departments of art, science, literature and philosophy’’.
In 1935 the brief was narrowed to science but the present legislation, since 2012, stipulates ‘‘science, technology and the humanities’’.
This is entirely appropriate because the big problems of the world will only be solved by drawing upon the combined insights of the sciences, social sciences, engineering and the humanities.
Like scientists, humanities scholars – who work in the disciplines of English, history, languages, religion, philosophy, literature and law – seek to understand how the world works by looking through the lens of the human condition.
In facing complex challenges such as climate change, environmental degradation or genetic modification, science and technology can only provide some of the insights and information needed for communities to make decisions about how best to respond. The human dimension that the humanities bring is vitally important.
The value of humanities research has been recognised by being included in the Marsden Fund, New Zealand’s prestigious fund for investigator-led research, since 1997.
The society manages this fund on behalf of the government to support research excellence in science, engineering, maths, social sciences and the humanities. The fund will increase significantly over the next three years.
The society remains committed to the ideals on which it was founded, including its role to support high standards of research and scholarship.
It will continue to promote and advance science, technology and the humanities, and support public debate on important issues affecting all New Zealanders by drawing upon the findings of all relevant disciplines.