Strengthening Constitutional Self-Government

No Left Turns

Academic freedom

This thread at the Volokh Conspiracy on academic freedom has much to recommend it, including extensive citations of the University of Chicago’s 1967 Kalven report.

One of the saddest things about Ward Churchill, whose vicious ideological stupidity has occasioned a veritable blizzard of postings in the blogosphere, is that he profits from academic freedom, probably without understanding its purpose and without himself appreciating or fostering the critical diversity it is the function of the university to provide. It is a shame that someone as intolerant as he appears to be can take advantage of the university’s toleration.

Discussions - 3 Comments

He understands. The whole radical left does; just as John Dewey did. Education institutions are where ignorance is removed. It just so happens that the left considers faith in God, love of country, morals and an independent truth "ignorance".

I’ve been following the Ward Campbell fiasco closely. There are two points I’d like to make: first, anyone who accepts a position as a faculty member is there primarily for one purpose - to expand the knowledge level of students who attend their classes by teaching, guiding, and encouraging exploration of the world and its relationship to the course being taught, and second, to represent the University as an asset that can be used to recruit students, entice funding, and encourage the pursuit of knowledge. When anyone in the academic world fails to meet those goals, they no longer have a reason to be employed. Doing one or the other badly is not disqualifying in and of itself, but puts one in a less marketable position. When one who has been hired to teach stops doing both, or does both poorly, then even tenure should not save them. When one actually brings disgrace to an institution, or does things which reflect poorly on the institution and its members, such a person should be placed under a microscope to determine whether it’s worth keeping them around. Apparently, that’s what is happening with Ward Campbell.

Umm...Old Patriot - who is Ward Campbell?

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