How Far is Too Far?

Science will always further explore and find reasonings behind scientific phenomenon. An example of scientific phenomenon that modern science is currently studying is the creation of galaxies. In order to understand the realm outside of earth, scientists proposed the Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT) on the summit of Hawaii’s tallest mountain in Mauna Kea, an ideal location to view and observe the skies above. Constructing the telescope will not only continue our understanding of the planets, but it also gives scientists insight of black holes, dark matter, and dark energy. However, building the Thirty Meter Telescope will become a controversy because it disrupts the sacred place of many Native Hawaiians. Today, there is still moral debate in science whether to build it, and the decision will ultimately side with either science or culture/religion.

In A Native Hawaiian-led Summary of the Current Impact of Constructing the Thirty Meter Telescope on Maunakea by Kahanamoku, et al., the article discusses the Indigenous viewpoint of the Native Hawaiians on the Thirty Meter Telescope project’s impact. The authors list the themes included in their article in the second page:

1. Physical demonstrations and the use of law enforcement against the protectors of Maunakea, nā kiaʻi o Mauna-a-Wākea
2. An assessment of the benefit of Maunakea astronomy to Native Hawaiians
3. The disconnect between astronomers and Native Hawaiians

Ultimately, the protectors of Maunakea want to halt any Thirty Meter Telescope activity and proposed that people must receive the consent of the Native Hawaiians who lived on the land for decades. The Hawaiians want to be able to continue the Hawaiian culture and live with a central concept: “commitment to sustaining the land” which “drives the foundational duty to value land” (Kahanamoku, et al, 3).

The tensions between Native Hawaiians and scientists started when astronomers noted that the land had ideal atmospheric conditions. In 1893, Queen Lili’uokalani was illegally overthrown by the United States to invade the Hawaiian Kingdom. Due to this, the state of Hawaii in 1959 became less independent and its “lands, cultural resources, and self-determination” were taken, consequently leading to “detrimental impacts on Hawaiian political, social, economic, and value systems” (Kahanamoku, et al, 3). This pushes the narrative that scientists will do whatever it takes for discovery, which in turn raises ethical and moral concerns. Deciding what knowledge is worth pursuing is quite easy, but it becomes challenging when knowledge comes with a con. In order to pursue knowledge, we must consider the following:

• Seek for consent
• Be knowledgeable of those who will be affected
• Be respectful to each other’s perspectives

With this list, I believe that we can reconcile the knowledge we gain from scientific pursuit with the colonial way that knowledge can be developed, constructed, and used.

One of the pieces of content we learned throughout this semester that reminded me of this pursuit of knowledge is the implementation by ICE and the Department of Homeland Security. International students were unable to continue with their academic studies from the new policy, which “implement[ed] a ban on international students enrolled in online-only courses” due to the ongoing emergency of COVID-19 (Presidents’ Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration). In order to continue this knowledge, many universities showed their support towards international students.

References

1. Phys.org, Giant Hawaii telescope to focus on big unknowns of universe, 2019: https://phys.org/news/2019-07-giant-hawaii-telescope-focus-big.html
2. Presidents’ Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration. (2020, July 10). 180 institutions of higher education join litigation in opposing administration’s “International Student Ban”. https://www.presidents
   alliance.org/press/180-institutions-of-higher-education-join-litigation-in-opposing-administrations-international-student-ban/
3. S. Kahanamoku, et al., A Native Hawaiian-led summary of the current impact of constructing the Thirty Meter Telescope on Maunakea, 2019: https://arxiv.org/pdf/2001.00970.pdf