Given both the growth and scrutiny of political correctness on campus and everywhere in the United States, we must ask difficult questions about political correctness: What does it accomplish? Does it discourage discourse? Is political correctness good? In order to answer these questions, I will use “scientific correctness” as a guide to shed some light on this pressing issue. There are two reasons why scientific correctness, as I define it, will serve as a helpful guide for evaluating political correctness: it is clear how scientific correctness is a force for good and it functions in similar ways to political correctness.
What is scientific correctness? I made up the term, but I will define it as the pressure in the scientific community to accept theories that are empirically supported and reject theories that are not supported within the framework of the scientific method. For example, a scientist would be pressured by other scientists to accept a given theory A (the Earth is round) over another competing theory B (the Earth is flat) if the evidence (e.g. observations, simplicity) were in favor of theory A.
Now, what does scientific correctness accomplish? Scientific correctness elevates the theories that are supported by the evidence and forces new theories to be proven through rigorous empirical testing. Political correctness works in a similar way. Political correctness encourages ideas that have been found to be in tune with our moral intuitions and reason, while also forcing new ideas to stand the test of our moral judgments and norms. The specific mechanism of political correctness is often to discourage ideas through many mediums (e.g. institutional punishment, social pressure) that we have found to be out of tune with our moral intuitions and reason. As scientific correctness moves humanity towards scientific progress, political correctness moves humanity towards moral progress.
Does political correctness or scientific correctness discourage discourse? Short answer: yes, but it is often justifiable. As a first example, let us take a person who claims and advertises that the Earth is flat. (Let’s randomly call this person Bob.) Bob is ridiculed for believing and advertising a theory that is vastly unsupported by the evidence. As a result, Bob is actively discouraged from spreading his unjustified beliefs. However, this discouragement is warranted because this theory has time and again failed to fit the evidence. If we had to continuously revisit whether the Earth is flat or whether the Earth moves around the Sun, there would be no sense of scientific progress.
As an example for political correctness, let us take a person who claims and advertises the notion that homosexuality is evil. (Let’s randomly call this person Jerry Falwell.) Jerry is ridiculed (at least in some circles) for believing in an idea that is inharmonious with our intuitions of equality and respect. As a result, Jerry is actively discouraged from spreading his unjustified beliefs. However, the discouragement is warranted since homophobia has time and again failed to provide sufficient reason for spreading inequality and disrespect. If we had to continuously revisit whether homophobia, racism or sexism is wrong, we would have no sense of moral progress.
Due to the fact that it suppresses bad theories and elevates good ones, scientific correctness is a force for good in that it promotes truth over falsity. Similarly, political correctness is a force for good in that it protects those to whom certain ideas attempt to degrade, divide and disenfranchise while also honing in on general moral principles.
With all of that said, political correctness and scientific correctness are not always right about which ideas they should promote and which they suppress. There was once a time when it was considered scientific blasphemy to hypothesize a universe in which Earth was not at the center. Similarly, there was once a time when it was politically incorrect to refer to slaves as people. However, despite these divergent examples, time has cleared these issues up. Both scientific correctness and political correctness have moved humanity forward, which is why we are more scientifically and morally evolved today than we have ever been.
On an individual level, people are obviously entitled to their beliefs. Believe whatever you want! Challenge scientific correctness! Challenge political correctness! However, when you present a potentially controversial idea to the public sphere, you must keep in mind that, unlike in the scientific community, people’s feelings, sense of identity and wellbeing are on the line. Therefore, you must respectfully support your ideas with reason and evidence if you want to remain unscathed.
There is one great aspect of the scientific community that we should all try to reproduce: asking questions. The high frequency of questions in science helps everyone discern what is actually meant by a certain claim so that every claim can be evaluated accurately on its own merit. Accordingly, the easiest way to be politically correct is to ask a question. Everyone benefits and grows with questions. It is the best way to compassionately and respectfully understand experiences, ideas and feelings that are unfamiliar to you. Therefore, if you take away anything from this article, I hope it is that you ask away.
Nick DiStefano is a member of the Class of 2018.