Sir Ronald Fisher window

Stained glass window formerly in the dining hall of Caius College , Cambridge, commemorating Ronald Fisher and representing a Latin square

A stained glass window commemorating British statistician, geneticist, and eugenicist R. A. Fisher was installed in the dining hall of Gonville and Caius College in Cambridge , England in 1989. It depicts a 7x7 Latin square , as featured in Fisher's The Design of Experiments . ^[1] The idea for the window came from college fellow, A. W. F. Edwards , and the execution was the work of Maria McClafferty. ^[2]

At first there were two windows, the other featuring a Venn diagram to commemorate John Venn , both installed in time for the 1990 centenary of Fisher's birth. In 1992 the set was expanded with four more windows representing scientific achievements with links to the college: a DNA spiral celebrating Francis Crick , and windows celebrating Charles Scott Sherrington , George Green and James Chadwick . ^[3]^[4]

In June 2020, during the global George Floyd protests , the college's Gate of Honour was spray-painted in protest at the installation and at Fisher's association with eugenics , ^[5] and the college announced on 24 June that the window would be removed because of Fisher's tarnished reputation. ^[6] The removal was subsequently carried out. ^[7]

The issue of the Fisher window will continue to be addressed in a working group and a public conference organized by the college to consider wider issues of diversity and representation. ^[8]

Criticism [ edit ]

Critics have pointed out that the principles applied in this case, if applied consistently, might justify the removal of memorials to other prominent figures such as John Maynard Keynes , an economist and co-founder of Cambridge Eugenics Society. ^[9]

References [ edit ]

^ Andersen, Lars Døvling (2013). "Latin squares". In Wilson, Robin; Watkins, John J. (eds.). Combinatorics: Ancient & Modern . Oxford University Press. pp. 251?284. ISBN 9780191630620 . See in particular p. 257 .
^ Edwards, A. W. F. (2006). "Statisticians in stained glass houses". Significance . 3 (4): 182?183. doi : 10.1111/j.1740-9713.2006.00203.x . ISSN 1740-9713 . S2CID 153435635 .
^ Edwards, A. W. F. (2004). Cogwheels of the mind : the story of Venn diagrams . Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. p. 7. ISBN 0-8018-7434-3 . OCLC 52258357 .
^ Anthony Edwards (1 September 2005). "Caius Stained Glass" . Once a Caian . No. 2.
^ "Sir Ronald Fisher memorial in Cambridge targeted by activists" . BBC News . 12 June 2020 . Retrieved 27 June 2020 .
^ Busby, Mattha (27 June 2020). "Cambridge college to remove window commemorating eugenicist" . the Guardian . Retrieved 27 June 2020 .
^ "Fisher Window removed and diversity progress" . Gonville and Caius . Retrieved 9 January 2022 .
^ Evans, Richard J. (28 July 2020). "RA Fisher and the science of hatred" . New Statesman .
^ Shackleton, Len (30 June 2020). "If we're being consistently woke about statues, Keynes must surely be the first of the Left to fall" . the Telegraph . Retrieved 27 May 2021 .

52°12′23″N 0°06′59″E / 52.2063°N 0.1165°E / 52.2063; 0.1165

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[1] Andersen, Lars Døvling (2013). "Latin squares". In Wilson, Robin; Watkins, John J. (eds.). Combinatorics: Ancient & Modern . Oxford University Press. pp. 251?284. ISBN 9780191630620 . See in particular p. 257 .

[2] Edwards, A. W. F. (2006). "Statisticians in stained glass houses". Significance . 3 (4): 182?183. doi : 10.1111/j.1740-9713.2006.00203.x . ISSN 1740-9713 . S2CID 153435635 .

[3] Edwards, A. W. F. (2004). Cogwheels of the mind : the story of Venn diagrams . Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. p. 7. ISBN 0-8018-7434-3 . OCLC 52258357 .

[4] Anthony Edwards (1 September 2005). "Caius Stained Glass" . Once a Caian . No. 2.

[5] "Sir Ronald Fisher memorial in Cambridge targeted by activists" . BBC News . 12 June 2020 . Retrieved 27 June 2020 .

[6] Busby, Mattha (27 June 2020). "Cambridge college to remove window commemorating eugenicist" . the Guardian . Retrieved 27 June 2020 .

[7] "Fisher Window removed and diversity progress" . Gonville and Caius . Retrieved 9 January 2022 .

[Evans-8] Evans, Richard J. (28 July 2020). "RA Fisher and the science of hatred" . New Statesman .

[9] Shackleton, Len (30 June 2020). "If we're being consistently woke about statues, Keynes must surely be the first of the Left to fall" . the Telegraph . Retrieved 27 May 2021 .

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