…rendered in tally marks. Seems that Oxford finds Imperial measurements a little too eurocentric and… imperial.
Oxford University seeks to eliminate Imperial measurements and ‘diversify’ math, physics, and science courses in ‘decolonization’ push
Oxford University has recruited undergraduates at its’ school to research how its science curriculum can be “decolonized” to be made less “Eurocentric,” the Telegraph reports.
The university’s faculty suggests that imperial measurements are “tied deeply to the idea of the Empire,” and that changes could potentially be made in Oxford’s maths, physics and life sciences.
So Imperial is out.
Metric system? I figure a system devised in royal Bourbon France is unacceptable?
I propose quantum chromodynamics units. That’s pretty basic.
But it seems to me that even the numeral system is problematic. Arabic numerals? (edit:) Introduced to Europe Culturally appropriated by Europeans from colonizing imperialistic Moors.
Roman numerals? Imperial Rome.
Frankly, any widespread numeral system is going to be tied to colonizers, because that’s how they get widespread. I think we’re down to tally marks.
Now, you might think that converting STEM to a tally-rendered quantum_chromodynamics-based system of measure is difficult and silly, but think about it. Anyone who can actually do science and engineering that way clearly has a really good grasp of the subject. This counters the problem of snowflakes in social justice engineering programs.
Either that, or all the aircraft wings fall off.
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We can’t possibly call them “Arabic Numerals” because they were (purportedly) transmitted to Europe by those notorious slavers, the Arabs. So that name must be cancelled.
Since their origins were Hindu, and the main role in transmission was in fact played by Persians rather than Arabs, maybe we can use them if we rename them Perso-Hindu numerals.
Except that the Hindus famously bought slaves from East Africa; the Persians may well have kept slaves too, for all I know, and anyway the Persians were notorious imperialists.
We’re stuck. And we really should dump mathematical habits inherited from the notorious Babylonian Empire.