This week we are building off our ideas around the different representations of the cosmos we talked about in Week 9. We have now moved to the present day and are considering current research in cosmology and how that work is situated in society. This week we are reading about both recent Nobel prize winning work on black holes, as well as protests about the construction of equipment that is used for that work. Thus, in our blog post, we want to wrestle with perspectives about the construction of knowledge: How do we decide what knowledge is worth pursuing and how to pursue it? Can we reconcile the knowledge we gain from scientific pursuit with the colonial way that knowledge can be developed, constructed, and used?
Drawing on the readings from this week, discuss both sides of this issue in the case of the proposed Thirty Meter Telescope on Maunakea. Additionally connect your arguments about pursuing knowledge to one other reading or piece of content from this semester.