ASU's Social Justice Goals are Public

At a state university, you should expect to find freedom of inquiry and the inclusion of all different philosophical views. This vision has gone badly wrong if a university is teaching one of the competing philosophies as the truth of the matter. ASU is very public about its commitment to academic freedom and freedom of debate. However, a look at the public information on its websites also shows it is very public about its commitment to the philosophy of “social justice” and that it knowingly links this to “critical theory.” Look at these resources that a Google search will bring up.

Here we see that their webpage still claims that the Inclusive Communities class is required every two years and includes quizzes.

Here we see that ASU speaks explicitly about its “social justice agenda.”

Here we see from the proposal for the BA in Social Justice at ASU West that “social justice” is linked to critical theory. This degree will differ from Justice Studies in its emphasis on advocacy and social justice.

And here we see that the BA in Community Advocacy and Social Policy explicitly links itself to “social justice.”

What is startling is the blindness to assumptions (bias) on the part of these professors and administrators. In their minds, there are only two views: “social justice” and Hitler. That’s why they use the word “justice.” It’s a good word, and we should all support justice. However, “social justice” is not justice—it is discrimination. It promotes the idea that the only way to combat discrimination is with more discrimination.

It is possible to teach about justice and address the needs of marginalized and oppressed communities without engaging in discrimination or race blame. Why won’t ASU commit to this approach? One reason, as you can see, is that they have entire degree programs built around this philosophy that they would have to dismantle. Is there any way for ASU to correct this or go back?

You can’t attend, or send your kids to, ASU without having this philosophy pushed on you as the absolute truth. Nor can you, as a taxpayer in Arizona, avoid supporting this philosophy through your state universities.

What should be done?