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Monday, February 28, 2011
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Author lectures on science, democracy link Science writer elaborates on correlation between science, rise of democracy in history Stephanie Derochers Staff Writer On Feb. 24, the Baker Center hosted Timothy Ferris, professor and science writer, for his lecture, “The Science of Liberty: How Science Enabled the Rise of Democracy.” His thought-provoking comments linked the two seemingly divergent concepts. “Science and liberal democracy are symbiotic,” Ferris said. “Science incited liberal democracy by undermining authority.” He explained how science has caused people to rise up and fight against the established government, from the Enlightenment up to the recent conflicts in Egypt and its surrounding countries. Ferris also cited Facebook as a driving force behind the peoples’ decision to demand change. According to his research, the majority of Arabic youths want to live in a democracy, and Facebook gives them a means to communicate this desire and connect with their contemporaries. This connection would lead to them banding together to fight for change. “I thought (the lecture) was eye opening, because I hadn’t really thought of all the different ways social networking can help democracy,” Anthony Pilone, sophomore in jour-
nalism and electronic media, said. Long before the Egyptians fought for freedom, the serfs of the Middle Ages suffered under the oppression of kings. Ferris described how, through claiming “divine knowledge,” kings could justify anything they wished to do with no opposition. When science became more popular and widespread, however, the facts that could dispute the kings’ so-called divine knowledge became widely known. This would change the world, with the traditionally lower classes gaining the knowledge they would need to rebel against cruel rulers. Eventually, this trend would lead to the creation of the world’s first liberal democracy, the United States. While many claim that science had nothing to do with the creation of the new country, Ferris holds that the founders of our nation set up the government system as an experiment that would change as the country grew. The original setup was simply a hypothesis for how a democracy would work, and the actual institution of government would be the experiment to test it. In this way, the government itself is essentially a longterm experiment in how a democratic government should work. Along with his research into how science has allowed for the rise of liberal democracy, Ferris presented his own view of how political leanings work in such a democracy. According to his research, there are, in fact, more than the two views of govern-
ment that we are familiar with: the liberal and the conservative. Ferris said that this one-dimensional view of how people see the government is misleading. He asserted that a two-dimensional model of how people see the government exists, consisting of the four categories of liberal, authoritarian, conservative and progressive, which is more accurate. “Many Americans become more liberal (as they age),” Ferris said. Another key component of Ferris’ lecture was how the world has changed because of science and liberal democracy. “(Currently) 46 percent to 47 percent of all humans live in democracies,” Ferris said. “There is a tremendous desire (for democracy) among the world’s population that does not. He asserted that many positive repercussions have stemmed from democratic ideals. “Life expectancy for the world has more than doubled,” Ferris said. “Overall, the world’s a much healthier place.” This lecture was based on his book, “The Science of Liberty: Democracy, Reason, and the Laws of Nature.” The Washington Post has called Ferris “the best science writer of his generation.” The book is a combination of Ferris’ writing skill and 15 years of research. For more on Ferris’s views on science and liberal democracy, students should consult his published works.
Joy Hill • The Daily Beacon
Timothy Ferris chuckles during a presentation at the Howard Baker Center on Thursday, Feb. 24. Ferris, renowned author of “The Science of Liberty: How Science Enabled the Rise of Democracy,” gave students a unique look into his mind as one of the most popular science writers of his generation.
Speaker discusses minority parallels Tiffany Minnis Staff Writer On Feb. 23, the Black Cultural Center held the forum, “Is Brown the New Black?” The event was hosted by the Office of Minority Student Affairs and David Jones. The forum included keynote speaker Karla McKanders, associate professor of law, and student panelists Jonathan Kinnard, Victoria Peña and Angélica Guzmán. McKanders’ presentation addressed commonality among blacks and Latinos like myths and perceptions within employment hate crimes and assimilation, afterward giving the panelists an opportunity to address these concepts from each side. “It tells us where we are historically,” McKanders said, referring to a mural entitled “Immigration: The New Black.” “It’s a starting point for conversation.” McKanders’ presentation included the film clip, “Harvest of Shame,” aired by CBS the day after Thanksgiving in 1960 by correspondent Edward R. Murrow. The film revealed the working conditions and strikes of the harvest laborers. Later, in the film, “Legacy of Shame,” Thomas Brantley • The Daily Beacon Murrow would reveal that migrant workers were A panel of student leaders and keynote speaker Karla McKanders, associate still working under these conditions. professor of law, discusses with a group of students similarities and roadblocks McKanders spoke about the lack of education shared between the black and Latino communities on Wednesday, Feb. 23. The of those who believe the misconceptions they’ve forum allowed students to voice their opinions on working together to form an heard about immigrants while also noting that inclusive campus built on respect instead of stereotypes and myths typically immigrants have rights that they may not be associated with certain demographics. aware of.
Hate crimes, like the Staten Island hate crimes that occurred last August, which involved black suspects and Mexican victims, among the two ethnicities still exist. Movements for equal rights did not just affect the black community. In the case, “Mendez v. Westminister School District of Orange County,” Mexicans were forced to attend separate “schools for Mexicans.” The case involved NAACP representative Thurgood Marshall. Discrimination tactics did not just exclude blacks. In the case, “Hernandez v. Texas,” Pete Hernandez claimed that Mexican-Americans were barred from the jury commission that selected juries. Following McKanders’ presentation, the audience asked the panelists questions. Audience members were interested in discovering how they could work to break down these barriers on campus. Student panelist Guzmán, a first-generation immigrant, discussed her experience with negative reaction related to being an immigrant. “Make an effort to understand the language,” Guzmán said. She is involved in outreach programs, reaching out to those in need while also making it a learning process for herself. The forum enlightened students on current racial issues. “It assures me that we are on the right track, but we still have a long way to go,” Joseph Tolbert, senior in journalism and electronic media, said.
George Richardson • The Daily Beacon
Michael Sena, freshman in architecture, walks past a set of windows in Ayres Hall on Monday, Jan. 17. The windows, located in an open study of the historic building, depict famous UT landmarks and the phases they have gone through over the history of the university.