The case of Scientific American vs. Forrest Mims III raises controversial issues and appears to have raised a storm of emotional responses in the "Letters" section of The Scientist [April 29, 1991, page 12]. Naturally, it is the right of Scientific American to hire whom it pleases. Scientific American may even have the freedom to change its mind. It is, of course, our right to be offended when Scientific American dismisses a newly hired writer based on that writer's personal belief system.
We have been raised to believe that we are free to practice our beliefs and still be allowed to work together, at least within science, with people whose belief systems are different from our own. The system is not supposed to enforce a litmus test of beliefs, nor can it force Mims to score a passing grade on a test of correct scientific opinions. Imagine what would have...
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