Nobel Laureate James Watson's Talk on Cancer Research Canceled Due to More Deplatforming by Science Denialists
05/19/2017
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From the Chicago Tribune:
U. of I. cancels talk by Nobel laureate after faculty raises concerns about his views on race, intelligence

Associated Press

The University of Illinois has cancelled plans to host a talk by Nobel Laureate James Watson after faculty raised concerns about his discredited views on race and intelligence. …

Watson, 89, co-discovered the structure of DNA and has a history of racially insensitive comments.

Robinson said Watson initially reached out to the institute to give a “narrowly focused scientific talk” about his cancer research in conjunction with a planned visit to a colleague’s lab. Robinson said he wasn’t surprised by faculty members’ reaction.

“We tried to consider this very carefully in going forward, and different perspectives on the possibilities of him giving a science-based lecture,” he said. “With respect to his past, the email that I sent out stated very clearly that we didn’t condone any of his past comments, racist comments and sexist comments. And we noted that he had apologized and thought about all those very carefully.” …

Watson’s most notable racially insensitive comments were made during a book tour in 2007, when he told the Sunday Times of London he was “inherently gloomy about the prospect of Africa” because “all our social policies are based on the fact that their intelligence is the same as ours — whereas all the testing says not really.”…

[Links added—Comment at Unz.com]
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