Book Reviewed: The Future of Academic Freedom, by Henry Reichman

The meaning of academic freedom from the point of a liberal professor

Many people mistake academic freedom with individual right for free speech: Academic freedom tries to protect a scholars’ freedom of research, freedom in the classroom, and freedom of “extramural utterances” and actions. The guarantee to freedom of research is primary, and it has nothing to do with one’s constitutional right to free speech. Prior to 20th century, American universities were dominantly Christian institutions that instructed young men in Biblical truths, but things began to change after the civil war.

One of the unique feature of an American university is that they are owned by a state, a church, or by a private individual or family. The academic freedom in the early 20th century came directly from a shift in the mission of the university. The responsibility of a professor is primarily to the public based on the judgment of his/her own profession. Under the First Amendment, there’s no content discrimination, and the constitution does not penalize someone because of the content of their speech, but academic freedom allows us to determine an idea to be true or false. And the false idea cannot be a ground for retaliatory action.

According to Albert Einstein, academic freedom is the right to search for truth, publish and teach what one holds to be true. Any restriction on academic freedom that hampers the dissemination of knowledge impedes judgment and action. Once, William O. Douglas, the Justice of Supreme Court of the United States, said that the key aspect of freedom of speech is freedom to learn, and life and education is a continuous dialogue with questions and answers that pursue every problem on the horizon. Considering the state of affairs in American colleges, the ideologies has turned to extreme. Justice Douglas’ optimism is not reflected in academic institutions today. Many topics for discussion are taboo because it offends, racial minorities, feminists, Muslims, LGBTQ, multiculturism, environmentalists, liberals, and socialists.

The author is a liberal professor who discusses the contemporary practice of academic freedom. Much of the book focus on how conservatives and corporate trustees have negatively impacted the free thinking of academic institutions. The role of online education, social media, and the influence of ideologically motivated donors on our education have also been discussed. Currently, majority of academic institutions in the U.S. are liberal and highly biased. The author is overly concerned about conservatives but protects everyone else. The dark wave of anti-Semitism is strong and heavy across American campuses. This is correlated with growing strength of anti-Semitism in Muslim countries. Islam and antisemitism relate to Islamic theological teachings against Jews and Judaism. It has produced an environment of bullying, intimidation, and fear for Jews on campuses. This has entwined into the fabric of many educational institutions via multicultural ideology that pronounces Israel to be its enemy.

The author expresses concern that conservatives are becoming an increasing threat to academic freedom. While it is the liberals, left-wing extremists, Antifa, and Muslims are a threat to academic freedom. Did the author ever consider that an academic debate on topics like sharia, hijab, jihad, fatwa, death for apostates, women’s freedom under Islam and its role in spreading anti-Semitism will ever be allowed? No, it will never be debated due to the looming threat of violence by Muslims. We cannot discuss any other religion except one religion. When University of Colorado Professor Ward Churchill described the victims of the 9/11 attacks as “little Eichmanns”, a reference to the passively complicit Nazi Adolf Eichmann. It was not a problem for such an extreme view about 9/11 that was a concerted effort of Islamists including Saudi Arabia that drew this country into a state of war.

In Chapter 8, “Are Invited Speakers entitled to a platform” the author blames speakers Milo Yiannopoulos and Ann coulter for violence that occurred at U.C Berkeley campus in 2017. Students and outside forces were equally to blame, and such ruckus and tirade was expressed against Coulter at all campuses she went to speak in the last 15 years. Robert Spencer (not Richard Spencer), Dinesh D’Souza and Laura Ingraham have been obstructed and intimidated by Muslims, leftists and liberals. These speakers had the courage to discuss topics most academics refuse to discuss. Liberal professors give away so easily against intimidation and threat. The fake media on one hand and the liberal professors on the other are decimating the academic freedom that was so sacred for so long.