{"id":2023062,"date":"2023-09-06T05:18:02","date_gmt":"2023-09-06T09:18:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/this-is-extremely-dangerous-inside-the-biden-administrations-push-to-swap-science-for-indigenous-knowledge\/"},"modified":"2023-09-06T05:21:39","modified_gmt":"2023-09-06T09:21:39","slug":"this-is-extremely-dangerous-inside-the-biden-administrations-push-to-swap-science-for-indigenous-knowledge","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/this-is-extremely-dangerous-inside-the-biden-administrations-push-to-swap-science-for-indigenous-knowledge\/","title":{"rendered":"Biden Administration&#8217;s Risky Shift: Embracing &#8216;Indigenous Knowledge&#8217; over Science"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">18<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fthis-is-extremely-dangerous-inside-the-biden-administrations-push-to-swap-science-for-indigenous-knowledge%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2023062&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><h2>Indigenous Knowledge: From Fringe Theory to Federal \u200bPolicy<\/h2>\n<p>Just five days\u200c before President Joe Biden entered the White House, \u2062his team handed the <em>Washington Post<\/em> an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/science\/2021\/01\/15\/biden-lander-ostp\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">exclusive\u2064 story<\/a>:\u2063 Biden \u2062would keep his campaign\u2062 promise \u200dof &#8220;following the \u2064science&#8221; by turning the White House\u2063 Office of Science and Technology Policy into\u200d a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/biden-kills-trump-budget-cuts-totaling-27-4-billion\/\" title=\"Biden Kills Trump Budget Cuts Totaling .4 Billion\">cabinet-level agency<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>On Nov. 30, 2022, that office did something rather \u2062unscientific: It issued a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.whitehouse.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/OSTP-CEQ-IK-Guidance.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">memorandum<\/a> directing more \u2064than two dozen federal agencies to apply &#8220;Indigenous Knowledge&#8221; to &#8220;research, \u200dpolicies, \u2062and decision making.&#8221; The 42-page document encourages the agencies to\u2064 speak \u200bwith \u200b&#8221;spiritual leaders&#8221; and reject &#8220;methodological dogma&#8221; when crafting\u2062 policy as a way to remedy injustices against Native peoples.<\/p>\n<p>Federal regulators are to consider the\u200b folk wisdom of the Comanche Nation, \u200dfor instance, just as they consider lab results when trying\u200b to determine the pH level of rain. Long relegated to university campuses and fringe activist groups,\u200d the idea that Native people have a privileged understanding of the physical and metaphysical world is now \u200bthe official view of \u200bthe United States government.<\/p>\n<h3>The Definition of Indigenous Knowledge<\/h3>\n<p>With nearly 600 federally recognized Native \u2064tribes in the United States alone, there is \u200cno single definition of Indigenous Knowledge. Defenders and critics of the idea agree that, broadly speaking, it constitutes the traditions, \u200bstories, and religious rituals passed down orally through\u200d generations \u200dof Native Americans and aborigines in places like \u2063Australia.<\/p>\n<p>This investigation is based on a <em>Washington Free Beacon<\/em> review\u2062 of \u200c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/this-is-extremely-dangerous-inside-the-biden-administrations-push-to-swap-science-for-indigenous-knowledge\/\" title=\"Biden Administration's Risky Shift: Embracing 'Indigenous Knowledge' over Science\">previously unreported federal documents<\/a>, hours of recorded lectures by federal officials, and interviews with nearly \u2062a dozen experts, many of whom declined to speak publicly due to fear of reprisal. Together, the materials show how a once-fringe theory made its way\u2063 to the heart of the federal government and shine a light on the Democratic Party\u2019s struggle to balance its commitment to \u2063&#8221;the science&#8221; with its commitment to &#8220;inclusivity.&#8221;<\/p>\n<h3>Controversies and Risks<\/h3>\n<p>The U.S.\u200d government is not the first to embrace Indigenous Knowledge.\u200b Canada\u200c began\u200c incorporating Indigenous Knowledge into policymaking in the\u2063 latter\u200b half of\u2064 the 20th \u2062century, often with counterproductive results. A \u20642006 Canadian academic assessment <a href=\"https:\/\/books.google.com\/books?id=xq_ACAAAQBAJ&#038;pg=PT164&#038;lpg=PT164&#038;dq=%22the+acceptance+of+spiritual+beliefs+as+%E2%80%98knowledge%E2%80%99+by+governments+was+dangerous+because+it+could+be+used+to+justify+any+activity,+including+actions+that+were+environmentally+destructive.%22&#038;source=bl&#038;ots=1qJ8dlhJs3&#038;sig=ACfU3U0uc8H8akj10XRa9Aj9-sTcgWpZyQ&#038;hl=en&#038;sa=X&#038;ved=2ahUKEwimvfLGwZSBAxWDEVkFHSWoDGMQ6AF6BAgJEAM#v=onepage&#038;q=%22the%20acceptance%20of%20spiritual%20beliefs%20as%20%E2%80%98knowledge%E2%80%99%20by%20governments%20was%20dangerous%20because%20it%20could%20be%20used%20to%20justify%20any%20activity%2C%20including%20actions%20that%20were%20environmentally%20destructive.%22&#038;f=false\">concluded<\/a> that &#8220;the acceptance of spiritual beliefs as \u2018knowledge\u2019 by governments was dangerous\u200d because it could \u2064be used\u2063 to justify any activity, including actions that were environmentally destructive.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Use\u2064 of Indigenous \u2062Knowledge as evidence in Highly Influential Scientific Assessments poses serious risks, \u2062experts told the <em>Free Beacon<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;This\u200b is extremely dangerous,&#8221; said Anna\u200b Krylov, a professor of science, engineering, and chemistry at the University of \u2062Southern California. &#8220;When I conduct experiments, I need to \u200cfollow the rules and procedures and\u2064 think about safety. I have to keep track of what\u2064 I\u2019m doing.\u2063 I&#8217;m not thinking about chants, or dancing.&#8221;<\/p>\n<h3>The Role of\u200d Indigenous Knowledge in Federal Policymaking<\/h3>\n<p>In addition to the Office of\u2064 Science and Technology Policy memo, the White House has released \u200bmore than <a href=\"https:\/\/www.whitehouse.gov\/ceq\/news-updates\/2022\/12\/01\/white-house-releases-first-of-a-kind-indigenous-knowledge-guidance-for-federal-agencies\/\">three<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.whitehouse.gov\/ceq\/news-updates\/2022\/03\/07\/announcing-tribal-consultation-and-public-input-opportunities-on-indigenous-traditional-ecological-knowledge-in-federal-policy\/\">dozen<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.whitehouse.gov\/ostp\/news-updates\/2022\/06\/27\/readout-ostp-and-ceq-initial-engagement-on-white-house-indigenous-knowledge-effort\/\">documents<\/a> that favorably cite Indigenous Knowledge. Federal agencies have held \u200c <a href=\"https:\/\/fws.rev.vbrick.com\/sharevideo\/703882c9-ad0d-4df3-a795-54cb9cc3f6cb\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">dozens<\/a> of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.epa.gov\/system\/files\/documents\/2022-03\/advancing-considerations-of-traditional-knowledge-into-federal-decision-making-webinar-slides.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">seminars<\/a> on the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.usda.gov\/sites\/default\/files\/documents\/2023-food-framing-paper-usda-tribal-barriers-consultation.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">topic<\/a> as well.<\/p>\n<p>However, the use\u2064 of Indigenous Knowledge \u200cin federal policymaking has raised concerns. Critics argue that\u2063 it lacks a clear definition and can be subjective. The potential risks of incorporating spiritual beliefs into \u2063<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/how-the-cdc-bungled-covid-19\/\" title=\"How the CDC Bungled COVID-19\">scientific assessments<\/a> have\u200b also been highlighted.<\/p>\n<p>While some tribes support the inclusion of Indigenous Knowledge,\u200c others have \u2064sought to shield it from \u200cpublic access and scrutiny.<\/p>\n<p>As\u2062 the debate continues, the role of Indigenous \u200dKnowledge in shaping federal policies remains a contentious issue.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Just days before President Biden took office, his team informed the Washington Post that he would elevate the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy to a cabinet-level agency, fulfilling his commitment to &#8220;follow the science.&#8221; However, on Nov. 30, 2022, the office made an unscientific move.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":197,"featured_media":2023063,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[544],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2023062","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-free-beacon"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2023062","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/197"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2023062"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2023062\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2023063"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2023062"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2023062"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2023062"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}