academic freedom
TagWhen Philosophizing in Public, Remember How Strange We May Seem
Philosophers have a long history of being misunderstood by others. The risk of dangerous misunderstandings have led some philosophers in previous eras to take a variety of strategies—careful phrasings, flattery, literary devices, understatement, pseudonyms, running away—to avoid getting in trouble with the masses or their rulers. (more…)
Kershnar Cycle Reactivated (several updates)
Every few years, it seems, someone new will learn of the work of philosopher Stephen Kershnar (SUNY Fredonia), share their shock, amusement, or outrage about it on social media, and cause a brief spike in amazed, angry, or humorous commentary about it. Then people move on and tend to forget about it… until someone new learns of it and just has to share it. Call it..
What a Cancellation Looks Like (guest post)
“Most readers will find what happened to this professor horrifying and wrong…” (more…)
Experimenting with Higher Education (updated)
A new university is being created by a group of academics and media personalities who, unlike you and your university, care about the truth: (more…)
Christian Student Group Sues University Over Denial of Funds for Talk by Robert Audi (updated)
The University of Nebraska, Lincoln chapter of the evangelical Christian student group Ratio Christi is suing the university, claiming it was discriminated against when it was denied funding for a talk by philosopher Robert Audi (Notre Dame). (more…)
Kathleen Stock Resigns from Sussex
Kathleen Stock has resigned from her position as professor of philosophy at the University of Sussex. (more…)
Students at Sussex Campaign to Get Philosopher Fired (updated)
An “anonymous, unaffiliated group of queer, trans, and non-binary students” at the University of Sussex is calling for the school to fire philosophy professor Kathleen Stock for her views and activism regarding trans women. (more…)
Faculty at Rhodes College Urge Cancellation of Online Talk by Peter Singer (updated)
The Department of Philosophy at Rhodes College is scheduled to host an online event tomorrow (Wednesday) afternoon on pandemic ethics, featuring a conversation with Peter Singer (Princeton) and the philosophers at Rhodes. Faculty in other departments at the College have called for Singer’s invitation to be rescinded, owing to their understanding of his views about d..
Letter Protesting Midwestern State University’s Treatment of Nathan Jun (updated)
There’s currently an effort underway to gather signatures for a letter in support of philosopher Nathan Jun, who resigned from his tenured professorship at Midwestern State University following the university’s maltreatment of him in regard to freedom of speech and medical-related issues. (more…)
A Tale of Two Resignations
Two philosophy professors recently announced their resignations from their respective universities. Both say that their administrations failed to adequately defend their freedoms and protect them from harassment and threats. But there are some differences between the stories that affect what might be learned from them. (more…)
The Syracuse Strategy
The Chancellor of Syracuse University, Kent Syverud, and David Van Slyke, Dean of the university’s Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, have issued a joint statement strongly defending the freedom of speech of Jenn Jackson, assistant professor of political science, after she faced calls for her dismissal because of remarks of hers on Twitter regarding t..
Academic Freedom & COVID-Related Topics
How are universities regulating how faculty may discuss COVID-related topics such as mask wearing and vaccinations with students? (more…)
Concerns about Institutional Credit for Public Philosophy
When it comes to professional advancement, such as tenure and promotion, more and more philosophy departments are giving faculty credit for public philosophy—usually as service, but sometimes, depending on its form, as research or teaching. Does this institutionalizing of public philosophy come with problems? (more…)
Philosophy Prof’s Lawsuit Against University On Addressing Trans Students Reinstated
The United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit has reversed an earlier dismissal of a philosophy professor’s lawsuit against his employer, Shawnee State University, for violating his First and Fourteenth Amendment rights.
Complementing Defenses of Academic Freedom with Understanding & Advice
As reported earlier this week, there’s a new organization, the Academic Freedom Alliance (AFA), that aims to defend faculty whose academic freedom is being threatened. (more…)
Academic Freedom Alliance Formed
A group of scholars have created a new non-profit organization dedicated to supporting the academic freedom of higher education faculty (more…)
Mount St. Mary’s Students Call for Resignation of Philosophy Professor
Students at Mount St. Mary’s University in Maryland are calling for the resignation of philosophy professor Joshua Hochschild because of an article he wrote earlier this month for The American Mind, a publication of the Claremont Institute, a conservative advocacy organization. (more…)
Philosopher Launches Anti-Trans Website; Colleagues & Others Object
Holly Lawford-Smith, associate professor of philosophy at the University of Melbourne, has created a website that solicits and publishes anonymous complaints about the presence of trans women in typically women-only spaces. (more…)
Conference Series On Oppressive Speech Disinvites Trans-Exclusionary Philosopher
Leibniz-Zentrum Allgemeine Sprachwissenschaft (ZAS), a publicly-funded research institute in Berlin that is holding a series of conferences on oppressive speech between now and May, has removed a philosopher from its program after complaints about her planned talk. (more…)
Zoom Censors Online Session on Zoom Censorship
“We Will Not Be Silenced,” an academic webinar about Zoom’s decision to cancel an earlier academic webinar, was canceled by Zoom. (more…)
Philosophy Professor Fired After Posting Song on YouTube
James Spiegel, a professor of philosophy at Taylor University, a Christian liberal arts college in Indiana, was fired from his position after posting a video to YouTube of him performing one of his songs, “Little Hitler,” sharing it on Facebook, and refusing to take it down when asked to do so by the college administration. (more…)
Illusion and Agreement in the Debate over Intolerance
A good number of very smart, interesting, and creative people signed onto an open letter, published in Harper’s this week, applauding “wider calls for greater equality and inclusion across our society” while lamenting “the intolerant climate that has set in on all sides.” (more…)
Controversy at Philosophical Psychology Leads to Editor’s Resignation
In December 2019, the journal Philosophical Psychology published an article calling for scholars to take more seriously genetics-based approaches to research on race and intelligence. Yesterday, an editor of the journal announced his resignation. What happened? (more…)
A Resignation at Philosophical Studies and a Reply from the Editors (updated w/ comments from Cohen, Dembroff, Byrne)
Last week, Stewart Cohen, professor of philosophy at the University of Arizona, resigned as editor-in-chief from the prestigious academic philosophy journal, Philosophical Studies, a position he held for 25 years. (more…)
Institute for Philosophy and Social Theory in Belgrade Under Government Attack
The Serbian government is attempting to “muzzle and perhaps even eliminate” the Institute for Philosophy and Social Theory at the University of Belgrade, according to faculty there.
Free Speech at Oxford (updated with an important correction)
Flying around social media yesterday were cheers that Oxford University had issued a “Statement on the Importance of Free Speech” in response to a motion from the Oxford Student Union allegedly to “ban ‘ableist, classist and misogynist’ reading lists”. (more…)
Benatar Responds to Student’s Accusations and the Reporting about Them (updated)
In March, 2016, a student at the University of Cape Town publicly announced that she was facing a disciplinary proceeding at her school because she called her philosophy professor a racist. I reported on the story here. (more…)
Bad Publisher Behavior? Wiley and Philosophy & Public Affairs
Is there reason to be concerned about academic freedom and editorial autonomy at journals published by Wiley? (more…)