Owen, this is your colleague Catherine O'Donnell. Richard and I have had good exchanges with people of all views and continue to do so. In our piece, we argue for universities to take a more humble view of their role in society, not a broader one. Universities are at their core not marketplaces, not bully pulpits, but simply places of scholarship and learning. As faculty, what we have to offer is our scholarly expertise-- nothing more. It's up to the public, not us, whether that expertise matters and should be funded. We observed the importance of criticism within the university, which is the only way ideas advance. And we observed the crucial importance of criticism from outside the university, since the public is the judge of whether public universities should exist.
In our view, we have one job. It's extremely limited in scope and importance. But it brings with it obligations to the truth and to our students. Academic freedom ensures that we can do our jobs. We think universities should be wary of taking funds that, in the name of "intellectual diversity," tempt us not to do our jobs. We are honored to speak and correspond with all who wish.
Thank you so much for taking the time to reply to my post. I believe I understand your view and where I disagree with it. But I am always interested to hear more. I take what might be called a classical view of the role of the university. Would you like to have a zoom discussion (not a debate) about those differences? That would allow others who want to watch to see how we can interact respectfully and maybe even come to some agreement. Let me know if either of you (or both) would like to do that.
Hi, Owen. As it happens, I'm at the moment recovering from orthopedic surgery. But would love to have coffee and converse when I'm presentable and mobile again. I'll email you!
Owen, this is your colleague Catherine O'Donnell. Richard and I have had good exchanges with people of all views and continue to do so. In our piece, we argue for universities to take a more humble view of their role in society, not a broader one. Universities are at their core not marketplaces, not bully pulpits, but simply places of scholarship and learning. As faculty, what we have to offer is our scholarly expertise-- nothing more. It's up to the public, not us, whether that expertise matters and should be funded. We observed the importance of criticism within the university, which is the only way ideas advance. And we observed the crucial importance of criticism from outside the university, since the public is the judge of whether public universities should exist.
In our view, we have one job. It's extremely limited in scope and importance. But it brings with it obligations to the truth and to our students. Academic freedom ensures that we can do our jobs. We think universities should be wary of taking funds that, in the name of "intellectual diversity," tempt us not to do our jobs. We are honored to speak and correspond with all who wish.
Catherine
Thank you so much for taking the time to reply to my post. I believe I understand your view and where I disagree with it. But I am always interested to hear more. I take what might be called a classical view of the role of the university. Would you like to have a zoom discussion (not a debate) about those differences? That would allow others who want to watch to see how we can interact respectfully and maybe even come to some agreement. Let me know if either of you (or both) would like to do that.
Hi, Owen. As it happens, I'm at the moment recovering from orthopedic surgery. But would love to have coffee and converse when I'm presentable and mobile again. I'll email you!
Take care,
Catherine
Best wishes for your recovery!