Re: “Scientists must resist cancel culture”

Democratic freedom rests on the premise of an open and respectful debate. To say it with the (translated) words of Rosa Luxemburg: “Freedom is always the freedom of those who think differently!” The German Chemical Society (GDCh) firmly believes in this freedom. This must not be misunderstood as an approval of everything that has been said, but rather as the respect for the right of free speech, in alignment with the constitutions of most modern democratic societies.

In that spirit, please feel encouraged to share your factually substantiated opinion on the article by Krylov, Tanzman, Frenking, and Gill. Our hope is that this collection will provide a much better view on the key issues and will ultimately allow a sober analysis and respectful discussion on the basis of a very broad opinion poll.

Karsten Danielmeier, President of the GDCh
Peter R. Schreiner, Deputy President of the GDCh
Wolfram Koch, Executive Director of the GDCh

Course of the Discussion

The discussion page is continuously updated.

Send Your Opinion

Shortly after the article “Scientists must resist cancel culture” by Krylov et al. was published a fierce discussion of the post began—especially on Twitter.

The article in the latest issue of "Nachrichten" on cancel culture is being discussed controversially. We welcome the open discussion and all opinions are heard or read. Here is a short statement from our editorial team. pic.twitter.com/ysB6oaSaGl

— GDCh (@GDCh_aktuell) February 3, 2022

“The Myth of Cancel Culture in Chemistry (and Science)”

Mathias Micheel wrote a detailed rejection of the article’s thesis (the original appeared on his blog).

Mathias Micheel’s reply

“Atmosphere of Constructive Debates”

A critique in particular of the meta-level of the article was made by Michael J. Bojdys. His view: the tone of the article does not contribute to an “Atmosphere of Constructive Debates”.

Michael J. Bojdys’ reply

“On Cancel Culture and Antisemitism in Academia”

The authors’ thesis of the present rise of illiberalism in the West is supported by Ilya Reviakin.

Ilya Reviakin’s reply

“The Community Wants to See Positive Change”

Simon Hammann argues that the article sends a message that does not correspond to what the GDCh is supposed to stand for.

Simon Hammann’s reply

Letters of support for Krylov et al.

Several letters of support for the article “Scientists must resist cancel culture” by Krylov et al. reached the editors—among them one from Nobel laureate Arieh Warshel. A selection of these letters is published here.

Read letters

“Cancel Culture in Science is Real”

Wesley S. Farrell started writing this before Krylov’s essay was published, so he did not directly support or oppose it, although he did use it in later revisions to frame the argument. His sole argument is that cancel culture does exist in science. He takes no position on Krylov et al. or the examples used.

Read article on Heterodox STEM

Cancel culture