Of course there's science in Malaysia

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Some right-wing intellectuals believe that immigration harms United States society by admitting people from cultures they consider inferior. The argument has a very old pedigree - writing in 1896, Massachusetts Institute of Technology president Francis Walker warned against taking in "beaten men from beaten races".

This notion was always terribly wrong, and global economic development is offering added proof.

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on August 30, 2019, with the headline Of course there's science in Malaysia. Subscribe