Before workshop 6

Abstract for the workshop

Today, it would be unacceptable to present physics recruitment as in any way affected by race, gender or religious affinity. Still, the physics community elite is still predominantly White, Protestant,  Euro/American, heterosexual, and male. 

When faced with this conundrum (if science does not discriminate, then why does this still happen?), many scientists answer with passion: this is not the effect of unfair biases, but rather of self-selection, because those who finds physics most fun reap its largest rewards. 

This argument  has long roots, back to Enlightenment ideas about ”love for learning”. Simultaneously, saying that scientists themselves find science fun is a way to talk about science which did not emerge until the 1960s. 

In this workshop, we will analyze the ideological functions of a kind of language around science in general and  physics in particular which is very prevalent today, both in science museums and in interviews with scientists: that personal enjoyment is paramount and determines engagement. 

Our goal will be to balance a critical stance towards the power dynamics embedded in such statements, while still acknowledging that such descriptions can also have an empowering and welcoming effect to new groups. 

 

Preparing for the seminar:

1. Read the article "The Seductive Scientist" (https://doi.org/10.1098/rsnr.2023.0051)
2. Find an example of a physicist motivating the pursuit of physics with fun – either contemporary or from the history of science. Write a description of it in 100-150 words, and be prepared to discuss it during the seminar.