Category: Academia
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Free Speech and Open Inquiry Under Attack at Major Universities
In September 2016, one of the living giants of Christian scholarship, the Oxford emeritus philosopher Richard Swinburne, gave an address to the Midwest Society of Christian Philosophers, in the US. He spoke about Christian sexual ethics. In an aside — meaning this wasn’t the main topic of his talk — he affirmed the orthodox Christian…
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Academentia and the Need for Fumigation
Here: Everyone is buzzing today about the revelation of the three academics—James Lindsay, Helen Pluckrose, and Peter Boghossian—who placed over a dozen complete hoax articles with various premier “cultural studies” or “identity studies” academic journals. All three professors, it should be noted, consider themselves left of center, as does Alan Sokal, the New York University…
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Is Graduate School Really That Bad?
100 Reasons NOT to Go to Graduate School is now at reason #98. Despite its unrelenting negativity, prospective applicants to graduate programs will find the site useful. I cannot criticize it for being negative since that is its implied purpose: to compile 100 reasons not to go. But there is something whiny and wimpy about it. Suppose you are paid to…
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Society of Christian Philosophers Succumbs to Political Correctness
The following taken verbatim from Appeared-to-Blogly. SCP: 1978-2018 Filed under: Philosophy — camcintosh @ 5:09 pm Well, the Society of Christian Philosophers had a good run, celebrating its 40th anniversary at a vegan-catered conference this past weekend. Like the American Philosophical Association, the SCP is a shell of its former self, having been soul-sucked by political activists on…
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Evergreen State: Get Woke, Go Broke
The leftist seminary is down to 300 new enrollments. That's good news! The story broke in June of last year, and your humble correspondent weighed in: The Bret Weinstein-Heather Heying Caper at Evergreen State.
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Of ‘Blind Review’ and Pandora’s Box
This is a repost from 1 April 2014. I was reminded of it by a missive from Spencer Case who rightly complains about a more recent bit of related academentia. But if I link to it, you won't read what I have to say below. I will talk about the latest outrage perhaps tomorrow. ……………………………….…
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Time to Shut Down the Leftist Seminaries?
The universities have become seminaries of leftism. 'Seminary' is from semen, seed. The universities have become seed beds in which the seeds of America's destruction are planted in skulls full of mush. Time to shut them down says philosophy professor Jason D. Hill. You decide whether he has gone too far or is basically on…
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The Kavanaugh Nomination: Leftist Crazy Talk at Yale
Heather Mac Donald: This press release rendered the letter signatories, who include several law school and Yale College professors, “ashamed” of their alma mater. “Judge Kavanaugh’s nomination presents an emergency—for democratic life, for our safety and freedom, for the future of our country,” the letter stated. The use of “safety” rhetoric signals that we are…
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Identity-Political Infiltration of the Hard Sciences
More proof that leftists are destructive: A scientist at UCLA reports: “All across the country the big question now in STEM is: how can we promote more women and minorities by ‘changing’ (i.e., lowering) the requirements we had previously set for graduate level study?” Mathematical problem-solving is being de-emphasized in favor of more qualitative group projects;…
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The Catholic Cave-In to Leftist Claptrap
This is getting boringly predictable, and predictably boring. Here is yet another example, St Mary's College of California. . . . administrators encourage students to equate opinions with personal identity. Disagreement is not just disagreement—it is an attack. Staff in the Mission and Ministry Center, the Intercultural Center, and the New Student and Family Programs encourage…
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CUNY Law’s Disgrace
Social-justice warriors shout down a campus speaker delivering a talk on free speech, and school officials embrace them.
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Lunacy in excelsis at the ‘Universities’
This from a reader: You might be interested to know that a Canadian university recently had a job ad that might be even worse than the one you mentioned from the University of California at San Diego: . . . candidates shall demonstrate a capacity for collegial service and a commitment to upholding the values of…
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What Have You Done for Diversity Lately?
Are you thinking of applying for a faculty position at the University of California at San Diego? As part of your application you will be required to submit a statement detailing your work on behalf of diversity and inclusion. A bit more evidence that the universities of the land have become leftist seminaries. It is…
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A Budding Thomist Seeks Advice
This from a reader: I'm a junior year theology major. I recently found your blog and it's now one of my favorites. You are a voice of reason in this dark postmodern era. As someone pursuing a BA in theology and considering grad school, I love learning, reading, and writing. I've always wanted to be…
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Use, Mention, ‘Quotation’ Marks, and Political Correctness
The title of a recent Weekly Standard article reads: Professor Uses 'N-Word,' Student Shouts 'F-You,' 'Free Speech' Class Canceled at Princeton. I would write it like this: Professor mentions N-word [no inverted commas], Student Shouts 'F-You,' [correct use of inverted commas for quotation], 'Free Speech' Class Cancelled at Princeton [correct use of inverted commas as sneer…