academic freedom
TagPhilosophy News Summary
During the summer slow-down, many news items will be consolidated in occasional “philosophy news” summary posts. This is the first. (more…)
Over 1000 Academics Sign Onto Pending Work Stoppage at the Journal of Political Philosophy
Over 1,000 academics have added their names to a resolution pledging that, as of the end of 2023, they will not submit manuscripts to, review articles for, or accept invitations to join the editorial board of the Journal of Political Philosophy, unless its publisher, Wiley, meets certain conditions, including rescinding its decision to fire the journal’s editor-in-c..
Philosopher To Be Appointed UK’s First “Free Speech Tsar”
Arif Ahmed, professor of philosophy at the University of Cambridge, has reportedly been selected as UK’s first “free speech tsar” by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. (more…)
Sosa Comments on Experiences with Wiley
Ernest Sosa (Rutgers), the longtime editor-in-chief of Philosophy and Phenomenological Research and Noûs (and editor of its supplement, Philosophical Issues), journals published by Wiley, offers a comment in light of what is happening at The Journal of Political Philosophy: (more…)
More Details on the Dispute Between JPP & Wiley
The Chronicle of Higher Education has followed up on Wiley’s firing of Robert Goodin (ANU) from the editorship of the Journal of Political Philosophy. (more…)
Statement of Non-Cooperation with the Journal of Political Philosophy (updated with list of signatories)
The following resolution, prompted by recent developments at the Journal of Political Philosophy, was drafted by Simon Căbulea May (Florida State) with input from others. (more…)
Wiley Removes Goodin as Editor of the Journal of Political Philosophy (Updated)
Robert Goodin, the founding and longtime editor of the Journal of Political Philosophy, has been removed from his position at the journal by its publisher, Wiley. (more…)
Refereeing & Freedom of Information Acts (updated)
As noted in an update to a previous post, philosopher David Wallace (Pittsburgh) has made a request under the UK’s Freedom of Information Act for Oxford University Press (OUP) to provide him with correspondence related to certain publication decisions on recent submissions by Alex Byrne (MIT), Holly Lawford-Smith (Melbourne), and Richard Marshall. (more…)
What It’s Like to Be a Philosopher with Unpopular Views on a Controversial Subject (multiple updates)
“A couple of weeks later, I heard that OUP would not be publishing Trouble with Gender… for the sole reason that ‘the book does not treat the subject in a sufficiently serious and respectful way.’ No errors in the manuscript were identified and… no revisions were allowed.”
BGSU Threatens Whistleblower Philosopher’s Job
Christian Coons, associate professor of philosophy at Bowling Green State University (BGSU), is facing disciplinary proceedings that could lead to his termination for a series of events that began with him raising questions about how a job search was conducted, continued with him voicing concerns about the lack of evidence being considered in an investigation of his..
Florida Philosophical Association Calls for University Leaders to Stand Up to “Government Overreach into the Academy”
In the face of legislation proposed by Florida governor Ron DeSantis that would violate academic freedom, erode tenure protections, and diminish faculty governance at the state’s universities and colleges (see a summaries here and here) the Florida Philosophical Association (FPA) has issued a letter to the leaders of those schools calling for them to “uphold and pub..
APA Issues Statement on Academic Freedom in Florida
Academic freedom and shared governance in institutions of higher learning must remain free from political intrusion. Political restrictions on teaching and scholarship undermine the ability of philosophers and other university researchers to search for and disseminate knowledge. This compromises the fundamental mission of the university. (more…)
Russian Philosophy Journal Retracts Article Because of Law Banning “LGBT Propaganda”
Retraction Watch reports: “A Russian philosophy journal has retracted a paper about lesbian fashion magazines, citing a newly passed law that bans ‘propaganda of non-traditional sexual relations and (or) preferences.'” (more…)
Philosophy Lecturerer Allegedly Involuntarily Committed for Supporting Protestors
According to Radio Free Asia (RFA), Wu Yanan, a philosophy lecturer at Nankai University in Tianjin, China, was taken by authorities under false pretenses and confined in a psychiatric institution for supporting anti-lockdown protestors. (more…)
Social Media at Conferences
What are the norms for using social media to publicly discuss the conference sessions you’re attending? (more…)
Teaching and Writing About Abortion in Idaho (and elsewhere?)
“Academic freedom is not a defense to violation of law, and faculty or others in charge of classroom topics and discussion must themselves remain neutral on the topic and cannot conduct or engage in discussions in violation of these prohibitions without risking prosecution.” (more…)
Intergroup Dialogue in the Philosophy Classroom (guest post)
“Over 70% of our students… reported being more likely than before to listen to someone who held an opposing viewpoint…” (more…)
Cancel Culture: A Cross-Generational Dialogue (guest post)
“Should we double down on generating controversy, or should we watch what we say? And if the latter, can we still participate in an open inquiry?”. . .
“Philosophers who ‘just raise the tough questions’ should reflect the discipline’s tradition of open inquiry back on themselves and consider the purpose that specific ‘tough questions,’ or even the call for philosop..
Linguistic Society of America Considers Free Speech Resolution
The Linguistic Society of America (LSA), the main professional organization in the U.S. for academic linguists, is considering adopting a version of the “Chicago Principles on Freedom of Expression.” (more…)
OUP Responds to Letter Regarding Gender-Critical Feminism Book
Oxford University Press (OUP) has responded to an open letter circulated earlier this month (the first letter covered in this post) that voiced concerns about its decision to publish next month a book about gender-critical feminism by philosophy professor Holly Lawford-Smith (Melbourne). (more…)
Removal of Philosophy Professor from Institute Directorship Raises Academic Freedom Concerns
The administration at St. Olaf College has ended, one year early, the appointment of philosophy and religion professor Edmund Santurri as director of the College’s Institute for Freedom & Community. (more…)
Campus Controversies and “Inclusion… in the Activity of Knowledge Seeking”
Last September, when the Department of Philosophy at Rhodes College invited Peter Singer (Princeton) to participate in a webinar on pandemic ethics, faculty in other units on campus objected and urged that the event be canceled. (more…)
OUP’s Decision to Publish “Gender-Critical” Book Raises Concerns of Scholars and OUP Employees
Two open letters are circulating regarding the decision of Oxford University Press to publish Gender-Critical Feminism, a forthcoming book by Holly Lawford-Smith, associate professor of philosophy at the University of Melbourne. (more…)
A Philosophy Journal That Won’t Accept Submissions from Iranian Citizens? (updated)
In a recent interview about Russia and Ukraine at Truthout, Noam Chomsky (MIT), discussing sanctions and the toleration dissident voices in public in the United States and elsewhere, notes an example of intolerance: (more…)
SDSU Reassigns Philosophy Professor for Mentioning Racial Epithets in Courses on Racism, Critical Thinking
The administration of San Diego State University has stripped J. Angelo Corlett, professor of philosophy, of his critical thinking course and his course on race and racism this semester, following lessons in those courses in which he provided examples of racial epithets. (more…)
The Problems with Philosophers: A Reply to Weinberg (guest post)
Last week, I posted about an exchange between historians Amna Khalid and Jeffrey Aaron Snyder (both of Carleton College), and philosopher Michael Veber (East Carolina), using Veber’s contribution to highlight some things philosophers sometimes do that might contribute to a negative impression about them. (more…)
The Purpose of a University / Negativity about Philosophers
A couple of weeks ago, I posted about a popular tweet asking why people had negative attitudes towards philosophers and philosophy. Later that day, an email brought to my attention an essay and response to it that seemed to be the kind of thing one might point to as part of an explanation for those negative attitudes. (more…)
Philosophy Professor Suspended for Criticizing “Wokeness”
Gregory Schulz, a tenured professor of philosophy at Concordia University in Wisconsin, a private Lutheran university, was “suspended and barred from campus” following his publication of an essay critical of the school on the blog Christian News, according to Inside Higher Ed. (more…)