The global retreat from science

Welcome to NYC Skeptic’s “Skeptic Dinners,” a series of events facilitated by Prof. Massimo Pigliucci, a philosopher and biologist at the City College of New York. The idea is similar to that of the Ancient Greek symposia: let’s get a small number of like-minded people together over drinks and food and discuss interesting subjects!

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Across much of the academic world, the principles that once defined science—empirical testing, openness to correction, and immunity from authority—are under strain. Leading institutions are now adopting the rhetoric of “decolonizing” science: a movement that began as a moral project to redress historical imbalances but is increasingly becoming an epistemological rebellion against the very idea of universal standards of evidence.

This trend is visible even at the highest levels. Nature’s editorial “Decolonize Scientific Institutions, Don’t Just Diversify Them” (2025) acknowledges legitimate inequities but also implies that Indigenous or spiritual worldviews should be accorded epistemic equality with modern science. That suggestion blurs the line between respecting cultural heritage and redefining what counts as knowledge. What is at stake is not a debate about who should do science, but what science is about.

Suggested reading: "The global retreat from scientific temper," by Amardeo Sarma, Skeptical Inquirer. (Free download)

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Note: Since these are dinner events at a restaurant, you are expected to consume some food. Also please treat your rsvp seriously and update it if you decide not to come. If you don’t and we end up with empty seats, you may be barred from some of the next meeting. Thanks for understanding!

Malibu Diner is conveniently located in Chelsea, reachable by the #1 subway (23rd Street stop).