Elon Musk survives as fellow of Royal Society despite anger among scientists
GuardianMAR 3
Elon Musk Survives as Fellow of UK's Royal Society
Above: Elon Musk ahead of the 60th presidential inauguration parade at Capital One Arena in Washington, DC, US, on Jan. 20, 2025. Image copyright: Victor J. Blue/Bloomberg/Contributor via Getty Images
The Spin
Pro-establishment narrative
Musk is arguably one of the most important scientists in the world. But rather than use his voice for good, he has launched dozens of incendiary attacks on public officials and has led an initiative to slash US funding for scientific research. His behavior clearly runs foul of the Royal Society's code of conduct and it's a travesty that it doesn't have the conviction to take a stand and defend its principles.
Establishment-critical narrative
It's highly amusing that the Royal Society, with its fancy Latin motto of "nullius in verba" — meaning take nobody's word for it — cannot see the irony of its own behavior. While declaring independence in thought, it wants to punish Musk for his political opinions. Intellectual independence is tolerated only so long as it aligns with prevailing political sentiments.