APA Issues Statement On Trump’s Immigration Order


The Board of Officers of the American Philosophical Association (APA) has unanimously approved and posted a statement on Donald Trump’s January 27th executive order on immigration.

The text reads:

American participation in the global exchange of ideas depends on free movement of students and scholars to and from institutions of higher education, academic conferences, and other venues for study, research, and scholarly interaction. The executive order issued on January 27 limiting entry into the United States by refugees and those from seven predominantly Muslim countries, and deterring travel abroad by immigrants in the US, disrupts the work of philosophers and scholars in all disciplines around the world and impedes students, teachers, and researchers from engaging in their educational and professional pursuits.

The APA’s mission is to foster open dialogue and the free exchange of ideas. Inclusion and respect for diverse people, religions, cultures, and ideas are at the very core of our work. This order goes against these values—values on which the United States itself was founded.

The APA is working to assess the impact of this executive order on our members and participants in our upcoming meetings. We will take steps to ensure that those affected are able to participate in our meetings to the fullest extent feasible and to advocate for and support philosophers whose lives and work are harmed by this order.

We stand with learned societies, colleges and universities, and others around the world in calling on the President and Congress to reverse this executive order and to denounce religious intolerance in all its forms.

UPDATE: Earlier today, the Association for Political Theory (APT) issued a statement on the ban:

The Association of Political Theory condemns, in the strongest terms, the travel ban recently issued by the federal government and demands that it be immediately rescinded.  As clarified in our mission statement, the purpose of the APT is to promote the study of political theory and political philosophy in North America by advancing scholarly interaction, collaboration, and debate among political theorists from diverse intellectual perspectives. Our membership includes scholars from many different parts of the world including those covered by this travel ban. As an Association, we stand both with these scholars and in solidarity with all refugees and immigrants who have been negatively impacted and endangered by this executive order. We now commit to taking concrete actions to prevent the harms to our members that this policy threatens.  We will begin exploring ways to do this and we welcome suggestions from our members about how best to help.

Statements have also been made by the American Association of University Professors, the American Historical Association, the American Political Science Association,  the American Sociological Association, and the American Academy of Religion.

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DocFemeritus
DocFemeritus
7 years ago

Could not agree more. The loss of intelligent scientists, philosophers and scholars in many fields results in harm to science, philosophy, and other fields. But then, most of these fields are those that republicans would like restricted (science of global warming, ethics, elk you know…)

Arthur Greeves
Arthur Greeves
7 years ago

An admirably persuasive and restrained statement!

Hey Nonny Mouse
Hey Nonny Mouse
7 years ago

This is a splendid statement and I’m glad the APA made it. However, it is likely that it will only be read by people who already oppose Trump and the ban. The APA needs to do more to encourage philosophers to publish in public venues that are liable to include people who don’t already oppose Trump and the ban. Philosophers have a bad habit of writing only for other professional philosophers and of preaching to the converted. Meanwhile, we are badly needed beyond our tiny echo-chambers.