Blitz Bureau
BRITAIN’S Royal Society has decided it will not take any action against US tech entrepreneur Elon Musk after fellows met to discuss potential disciplinary measures, British media reported. The Royal Society, the oldest national scientific academy, said last month that it would hold a meeting to discuss “principles around the public pronouncements and behaviours of fellows” after thousands of scientists expressed their concerns about Musk’s membership.
Musk, who owns X, was elected as a fellow in 2018 for his technological achievements in space travel and electric vehicles. The Guardian newspaper said Adrian Smith, the Royal Society’s president, had written to members to rule out disciplinary proceedings. Past fellows of the Society have included Isaac Newton, Charles Darwin, Albert Einstein and Stephen Hawking, reported Reuters. In a statement, the Royal Society said any issues about the behaviour of its fellows were dealt with in strict confidence.
But it added that the view of its governing council was “that making judgements on the acceptability of the views and actions of fellows, particularly those that might be regarded as political, could do more harm than good to the Society and the cause of science in general”. Almost 3,500 scientists had signed an open letter expressing dismay at what they described as “continued silence and apparent inaction” from the Royal Society over Musk’s fellowship.
