Left-wing politics killed the Academy (part 1,000,001)

In the view of the larger community, professors have two big strikes against them. They have unprecedented job security, even if they perform with manifest incompetence. They often show a complete lack of practical reasoning skills, probably caused by the first strike.

The highly educated University and College Union members are so utterly stupid they cannot see the obvious contradiction, one easily noticed by any tradesman or tech school graduate. Union members cannot legitimately claim the principle of academic freedom to justify the abolition of academic freedom.

Duh.

The Leftist university reasons at a level below grade schoolers. By and large, that’s why sensible people ignore academics.

Jeff, at 10:50 am EDT on October 1, 2007

Modal qualifiers like “by and large” are important. Please note them in the future.

I know that life in higher education is tough, Sarah. But we all have to grow up sometime, and growing up means facing criticism. While academia likes to think of itself above criticisms from the larger public, it simply isn’t. You get your money from us.

Some acts are so stupid, and so logically inconsistent, that a good polemic is warranted. The British Union’s long campaign against Israeli academics and graduate students is atrocious. Not all ideas can be taken seriously, even under the rubric of so-called “collegiality.” This was one of them.

Get over yourself Sarah.

Jeff, Dear Sara, at 12:50 pm EDT on October 1, 2007

British faculty unions deserve praise

The British faculty unions deserve praise by raising the consciousness of the academics everywhere about what Jimmy Carter has called the apartheid policy of Israel. When such a policy has virtually destroyed the rights of the palestinian children to be educated in a safe and stable environment, academics in the nations that support that policy have a moral obligation to speak up. We academics are committed to the “public use of reason,” as Immanuel Kant has argued in his famous essay, “What is Enlightenment?”

Academic boycott in reality is not possible, and the British faculty have realized that. But the point is that their courageous stance against what is correctly characterized as apartheid has generated a discusssion which will continue until the issues are resolved justly. Apartheid as a public policy is unteneble, and one would hope to see the day when Israelis treat the Palestinians as human beings with equal dignity.

Bob, at 3:40 pm EDT on October 1, 2007

The British Do Boycott

Bob write: “Academic boycott in reality is not possible, and the British faculty have realized that.” Bob is wrong. I attended a conference in Britain from which people from South Africa (black or white) were banned.

John Lobell, Professor at Pratt Institute, at 4:35 pm EDT on October 1, 2007

Speking up requires courage

I appreciate the comments above in response to mine. Speakig up against injustice does require courage (remember Socrates), especially when it risks being labelled something as odious as antisemetic. That label, imposed on honest academics for criticizing Israeli policies, has cost them their tenure, their job, their promotion, or their mobility. Recall also the fact that many scholars have been denied visa to enter the United States for speaking out against Israeli policies.

Those policies do fit the definition of apartheid in every way, and they are unsustainable. We are either justifying them or questioning them through this discussion. In either case, our words do have an effect, however small, in the long run. If not, we would not care to read or write these comments at all.

Bob, at 6:20 pm EDT on October 1, 2007

The Ivory Tower or Ivory Monestary?

Larry wrote, “The story relates to events in the U.K. Jeff’s comments appear to relate to political parties in the U.S.” No. Leftists are prevalent in the UK, Liberals in the US.

Larry wrote, “He also seems to conflate British “faculty unions” with American trade unions, which are somewhat different animals.” Nowhere do I commit this error.

Larry wrote, “What is left of Jeff’s comment is a familiar rant that academics must somehow pay heed to non academics that pay their salary.” Not really, since this was in reply to another poster.

Really, there’s no ’somehow’ about it. As the AAUP states, “Institutions of higher education are conducted for the common good and not to further the interest of either the individual teacher or the institution as a whole.” The common good extends far, far beyond the boundaries of the university. Academics feel entirely free to judge people not in academia, and it’s right and proper that they do. Likewise, there is no legitimate reason, a priori, to toss the judgments of non-academics about universities and professors.

It’s a Democracy. Money is allocated according to the general will. If you want our money, you get us too.

Larry wrote, “it is unclear whether individuals outside the academy really despite academics as much as he does.” It’s a good point. Academics are held up more as humorously useless artifacts than as objects of disdain, both in the US and the UK. Fair point.

Larry wrote, “Americans judge each other by our educational pedigrees, and universities provide various services to a community.” And the community provides various services to universities. I think it far from clear that American judge one another by educational pedigree! Americans judge one another by economic achievement. In judging others, education is entirely subordinated to money-making. America is not a nation of philosophers, nor honor-lovers, but of money-lovers. It takes a long while in an insular Ivory Tower to miss that aspect of American society.

Larry wrote, “it is also unclear whether American universities have the same political relationships with the taxpayers that British universities do.” This is the best point you make. I concede it.

Larry wrote, “American academics generally thought these British actions were counterproductive.” And where was the vigorous opposition? Oh, right. That would entail a spirited criticism —- and it might even become a “rant” in the eyes of the opposition. How un-collegeal.

Jeff, at 12:55 am EDT on October 2, 2007