Thanks for the article - the only problem I see is that the kinds of arguments you are making here would not be accessible, nor be of interest, to the people ultimately responsible for the ban. These people are part of, or at least allied with, a movement that is (at least incipiently) fascist. This kind of book banning and the other stuff MAGA is up to is not about reasoned argument, it's about hate and strength. I do worry that academic responses like this might give us the impression we are dealing with the problem. But it's all good as long as we are also loudly politically engaged.
Thanks for reading, Ben! I agree that aiming principled arguments at political actors is often misguided, and certainly we don’t want to let ourselves off easy about resisting censorship. But lawmakers are empowered by the public, who deserve universities that are sites of true exploration. My hope is to raise questions among people who are deeply invested in our universities and show that they can’t retain that commitment and accept this state of affairs.
We have reached the inevitable moment where the "lowest common denominator" becomes the intellectual rule of the day.
Once Critical Theory hijacked our education institutions and took them down the path of endless meditations on Group Power Dynamics, we were headed to this kind of absurdity.
I suspect it won't last, but and I suspect the market will meet the moment. Other universities will compete for students who want more. This is the marketplace at work.
Please reflect about the fact that you just implied that Plato being banned by people who are part of an incipient fascist movement is the fault of the anti-fascists. By the way, I would also probably agree that in some contexts, "woke went too far" - but in this context, you have gone too far.
Thanks, going to the library to get a copy.
Thanks for the article - the only problem I see is that the kinds of arguments you are making here would not be accessible, nor be of interest, to the people ultimately responsible for the ban. These people are part of, or at least allied with, a movement that is (at least incipiently) fascist. This kind of book banning and the other stuff MAGA is up to is not about reasoned argument, it's about hate and strength. I do worry that academic responses like this might give us the impression we are dealing with the problem. But it's all good as long as we are also loudly politically engaged.
Thanks for reading, Ben! I agree that aiming principled arguments at political actors is often misguided, and certainly we don’t want to let ourselves off easy about resisting censorship. But lawmakers are empowered by the public, who deserve universities that are sites of true exploration. My hope is to raise questions among people who are deeply invested in our universities and show that they can’t retain that commitment and accept this state of affairs.
We have reached the inevitable moment where the "lowest common denominator" becomes the intellectual rule of the day.
Once Critical Theory hijacked our education institutions and took them down the path of endless meditations on Group Power Dynamics, we were headed to this kind of absurdity.
I suspect it won't last, but and I suspect the market will meet the moment. Other universities will compete for students who want more. This is the marketplace at work.
Fixing the problem of wokeism that permeates academia will involve some mistakes. But let's be honest about where the root problem resides.
Please reflect about the fact that you just implied that Plato being banned by people who are part of an incipient fascist movement is the fault of the anti-fascists. By the way, I would also probably agree that in some contexts, "woke went too far" - but in this context, you have gone too far.
Please reflect that your use of fascist is not only absurd but also an insult to all victims of real fascism and communism.
Exactly. Thanks for reading!