You are free to read Plato, just not when he writes about race or gender. A professor of philosophy at a major university in Texas has been required to skip certain texts in his classes.
The history of philosophy is sometimes described as a series of footnotes to Plato. The Greek philosopher lived around 400 BC and is one of the founders of Western philosophy.
But in the United States, it is no longer allowed to teach freely about topics such as racism and gender. Even Plato has not escaped censorship. Texas A&M University, one of the largest public universities in the US, wants philosophy professor Martin Peterson to remove certain texts deemed controversial from his teaching.
Peterson sounds bewildered in an interview with the New York Times: “A philosophy professor who is not allowed to teach Plato? What kind of university is that?”
Ethics
His course focuses on ethics and addresses contemporary issues such as abortion, the death penalty, equal rights, racism, and gender. It will come as no surprise to anyone in the United States that his classes are under fire. But the fact that even certain passages from Plato on love have to be removed from the reading list shows how much academic freedom in the US is under pressure.
President Trump views universities as adversaries and at times exerts heavy financial pressure to bring them into line. US science policy also affects Dutch academia, for example when American journals no longer accept certain articles or when collaboration becomes difficult.
The largest collaboration between Texas A&M University and TU Delft is in the field of flood research. The project is lead by Bas Jonkman, professor of hydraulic engineering (Faculty of Civil Engineering and Geosciences). He notes that, within the area of coastal protection, they have so far noticed no restrictions or changes in policy.
HOP, Bas Belleman
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