Krauss: Science must not be tainted by international politics

Agree. Dangerous trend here:

…Academic freedom is essential, not because academics are special, but because societal progress is held back whenever such freedoms disappear. The scientific enterprise in the 21st century is inherently international. The internet has levelled the playing field in a wonderful way, allowing young scientists from around the world to have unparalleled access to cutting-edge research.

In this way, science can unify humanity in ways that few other intellectual activities can. There is no Western science, or Eastern science, or Russian science, or NATO science – there is only the universal language of science. Scientists from scores of countries speaking dozens of languages, worshipping their own gods and having potentially conflicting political beliefs, speak and understand the same precise mathematical language of science without translation problems or vague misinterpretations. They can work together to break down not just the barriers that nature puts in the way of understanding, but also the ones created by national and international boundaries.

Large CERN experiments such as the Compact Muon Solenoid require work from thousands of scientists, representing every gender, nationality, race, size and shape of human. That is a heartening testament to what is best about the human species: how awe and wonder can unite us to pursue challenges we would otherwise never dream of conquering. When we introduce artificial political divisions that exclude some people from the enterprise, in the end we all suffer.

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