Letters: Of Scientists and Stereotypes

Regarding “It Doesn’t Add Up” [Winter 2008], I wish to comment on UW psychology professor Janet Hyde’s proclamation that it is her mission to change stereotypes and “as a scientist, [she has] to challenge them with data.” Give me a break — I didn’t know it was the role of a scientist to change the thinking of the populace. The role of a scientist is to perform research to solve the riddles of nature, and to have that research vetted by peers; changing the minds of the populace regarding so-called stereotypes is the role of politicians.

Paul Feng ’83
Irvine, California

Published in the Spring 2009 issue