Misguided thinking

Bob Brockie’s column (March 26) about the encroachment of the Treaty of Waitangi into scientific research was an uncomfortable wake-up call to the ongoing pervasiveness of misguided politically correct thinking throughout our society.

The reply from Nicola Gaston (Letters, March 28) was further proof of how effective this propaganda can be. She attacks Brockie for his lack of morality and his scientific incompetence around the issue of Ma¯ ori consultation on scientific research.

I think Brockie’s main ‘‘crime’’ here is to be white and of a more mature age group, a demographic which seems to be coming under increasing attack from certain quarters at present.

Gaston’s main beef is about the male-dominated culture in science and the supposed lack of opportunities for women with appropriate qualifications. Fair enough. But how she conflates this idea with trained scientists having to consult iwi representatives with no formal training or knowledge in specific scientific research areas is beyond me.

Perhaps we should now revisit some of the more notable scientific achievements of the last few centuries and maybe discard some of the theories due to the flawed and biased way of thinking from its mainly white, male proponents. The likes of Darwin, Einstein, Pasteur, Rutherford and Newton may have been wrong all along. CHRIS HALL Palmerston North