On December 14, 1873, Jean Louis Rodolphe Agassiz, one of world’s most eminent geologists and zoologists of his time, died at age 66 in his Cambridge home (USA). Today, 150 years later, Agassiz’s legacy is still very much alive. His study of fossil fishes remains the most important keystone in today’s palaeoichthyology. And in times of global warming, Agassiz reminds us how vast the Swiss glaciers used to look a century and a half ago, saving us from shifting baselines. But, Agassiz should also be remembered as the tutor, employer, and scientist who exploited his students, employees, and colleagues. Above all, Agassiz’s legacy is tainted by his contributions to scientific racism. Should this prevent us from studying and publishing on the life and legacy of Agassiz? Or should we put things in the right perspective: naming all issues, the good, the bad, and keep his spirit alive?
Study the whole picture, and report on the findings in neutral tones. Leave judgement up to the reader.
Little is gained by either honouring or desecrating a biographical subject. Bear in mind that the lenses through which we view the world change over time. Readers living decades from now will have different lenses, so imposing our own lenses on them makes it doubly-hard for them to form useful views.
Politics has nothing to do in science. Agassiz was a great scientist, and that's the only thing that counts. Wokism is a cancer for science, this is what we should really fight.
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