Academic Freedom

Judge Orders Texas State to Reinstate Robinson

A federal court judge ruled today that Texas State University must reinstate philosopher Idris Robinson, whom the university fired from his assistant professorship over a talk he gave about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. (more…)

Texas versus Freedom: Another Philosopher Is Leaving a Public University in Texas

Christy Mag Uidhir will be giving up his position as professor of philosophy at the University of Houston. (more…)

Free Speech Fine Against Sussex Following Philosopher’s Resignation Overturned

About a year ago, the UK government’s Office for Students (OfS) (whose “free speech czar” is philosopher Arif Ahmed) levied a fine of £585,000 on the University of Sussex after investigating how the university handled the case of philosopher Kathleen Stock, who resigned after students protested her views and called for her to be fired. (more…)

Letter Supporting Fired Texas State Philosophy Professor and Boycott of University

Last month it was reported that Idris Robinson, a tenure-track assistant professor of philosophy at Texas State University, is suing several university officials for violating his constitutional rights after they told him he would have his contract terminated in May, because of complaints about a talk he gave last year on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. (more…)..

Trans-Exclusionary Philosopher Seeks to Exclude Trans Philosopher

Jonathan Pike, a professor of philosophy at Open University who defends trans-exclusionary (aka “gender critical”) views has submitted a formal complaint about the appointment of his colleague, professor of philosophy Sophie Grace Chappell, a trans woman, to the Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2029 subpanel for philosophy, according to a report in Times Higher E..

Texas State Fires Philosophy Professor Over Off-Campus Talk on the Israeli-Palestine Conflict

Idris Robinson, a tenure-track assistant professor of philosophy at Texas State University, is suing several university officials for violating his constitutional rights after they told him he would have his contract terminated in May, because of complaints about a talk he gave last year “on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict off-campus in another state where a fight ..

Faculty & Students at Ghent Call for Resignation of “Race Science” Philosopher (update: reply from Cofnas)

Faculty and Students at Ghent University are objecting to the university’s recent hiring of philosopher Nathan Cofnas. (more…)

Florida Implements Stronger Thought Policing

With measures borrowed from history’s totalitarian regimes, political leaders in Florida are taking unprecedented steps to indoctrinate students and prevent them from learning about the world in ways that may lead them to question the leaders’ ideology. (more…)

Activism and the Pursuit of Knowledge

The pursuit of knowledge generates disagreement, including disagreement about how to pursue knowledge. (more…)

APA Joins Other Organizations in Calling for Texas A&M to Rescind Censorship Policies

The American Philosophical Association (APA) has signed onto to a letter by PEN America to the Texas A&M University System Regents “to request that they rescind two policies, passed in fall 2025, that have resulted in the censorship of academic courses across the institution, and the announced closure of the University’s Women’s & Gender Studies Program.” (more…)..

Tenure to Be Eliminated at Many Public Colleges in Oklahoma

It appears that no new tenure-track hires will be made at public regional universities and community colleges in Oklahoma. (more…)

When the University President Endorses the “Indoctrination” Narrative (multiple updates)

For some reason, Renu Khator, the longtime president of the University of Houston and chancellor of the University of Houston System, has felt the need to remind her faculty that “our responsibility is to give the ability to form their own opinions, not force a particular one on them. Our guiding principle is to teach them, not indoctrinate them.” (more…)

Justifying the Inclusion of Race, Gender, Sexuality (etc.) in Philosophy Courses

Some university administrations are (as we have seen) trying to prevent professors from teaching about topics related to gender, sexuality, and race. (more…)

Texas A&M Administrators Will Cancel Your Course If You Don’t Tell Them Exactly Where And What Its Race And Gender Parts Are*

Texas A&M University (TAMU) administrators cancelled “Ethics in Public Policy,” a graduate course in the university’s Bush School of Government and Public Service, because they rejected as too vague its professor’s explanation of when and how race and gender issues may come up in the course. (more…)

A Dishonest Response from TAMU President Tommy Williams

The interim president of Texas A&M, Tommy Williams, has publicly replied to last week’s reports of his university telling a philosophy professor to remove readings by Plato and others from the syllabus of his moral problems course. (more…)

The APA Board’s Open Letter to Trans Philosophers

At its November 2025 meeting, the Board of the American Philosophical Association (APA) approved a statement addressed “first and foremost, to trans members of our profession,” and to “those who teach and research in the philosophy of sex and gender, and philosophy that addresses LGBTQ+ issues,” but also to “all philosophers… because threats to any one corner of o..

Legalize Plato: The Shirt

In light of Texas A&M’s decision to tell a philosophy professor to remove readings by Plato from his course, one enterprising philosopher has come up with a way for people to voice their support for academic freedom. (more…)

Texas A&M Bans Plato (further updates)

Drop the race and gender material from your course and the Plato readings, or teach a different course. You have a day to decide.

(more…)

Be Careful What You Teach: Trump’s Minions May Get You Fired

A lecturer in the English Department at Texas A & M University was fired from her position after a student in one of her courses complained that she was “not entirely sure is legal to be teaching… because according to our president, there’s only two genders… and also this very much goes against not only but a lot of people’s religious beliefs.” (more…)..

Trump’s Halting of Harvard’s Funding Ruled Illegal

Yesterday, Judge Allison D. Burroughs of the U.S. District Court in Boston vacated the Trump administration’s orders to freeze or terminate billions of dollars in federal funding to Harvard University, calling them “arbitrary and capricious” and “violative of the First Amendment.” (more…)

Philosophy Grad Student from China Deported upon Arrival in US (updated)

A 22-year-old student from China who had traveled from China to Texas to study philosophy at the University of Houston was detained upon arrival in the state, questioned, and deported back to China 36 hours later, according to the Associated Press. (more…)

Columbia University Caves

Door #1: Lose at least $400 million in federal grants.
Door #2: Lose at least $221 million and your institutional autonomy. (more…)

Philosopher Resigns from Naval War College in Protest of Trump’s & Hegseth’s Policies

Pauline M. Shanks Kaurin, a philosopher specializing in military ethics, just war theory, and applied ethics, has resigned from her position as the Admiral James B. Stockdale Chair in Professional Military Ethics at the Naval War College (Newport, Rhode Island), because she believes that “the kind of teaching and research the Navy once hired her to do will now be im..