On the Salaita boycott. Some people have hesitated to sign letters which do not stipulate an end-date. Others are fussing on Fb over issues of tone and worries about their colleagues in Illinois. Paul Boghossian posted this on a thread earlier and Im sharing it because it expresses precisely my own view of the matter. Corey Robin: I think these are important points to make. This discussion strikes me as a little too academic for its own good. We have an important moral issue before us. Academic freedom is endangered. A person, who had resigned his job on the promise of another one, is about to have his life ruined, on the basis of 140 character tweets. Administrators looking on are about to conclude that they can blithely overturn the recommendations of their own rigorous procedures for personal or political gain. Those who want to foster a culture of intimidation about sensitive world issues are about to conclude that their tactics are working. This is a time for clear-minded, assertive moral protest; not for fussing with a thousand little distinctions that no one cares about. We need to speak with a strong voice now and put a stop to this now. We dont want to have to deal with a multitude of similar cases in the near future. And how much of a punishment on our colleagues at Illinois is it anyway? There are so many alternative ways of ensuring philosophical interaction with them, if thats what people really were worried about. And do you think anyone will mind if, in a few years, a signer were to say: Given this or that development, I have decided to abandon my boycott of UIUC? Time to get real, here.
Posted on: Tue, 19 Aug 2014 11:17:43 +0000
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