Colin McGinn resigns in wake of sexual harassment charges

June 5, 2013 • 11:33 am

Oy vey, you just never know.  According to Leiter Reports (which apparently took the news from the Chronicle of Higher Education, where the story’s behind a paywall), the world-famous philosopher of mind Colin McGinn, who is 63, will resign from the University of Miami at the end of this year in the wake of sexual harassment charges. Although there was apparently no direct sexual contact between McGinn and his accuser, a female graduate student, she apparently received extremely inappropriate and salacious emails from McGinn. Leiter appears to quote the CHE for the details:

[The student] had previously taken a course with Mr. McGinn in the fall of 2011, and began serving as his research assistant soon after.

The student, who asked to remain anonymous because she is planning to pursue a career in philosophy, said in an e-mail that she began to feel uncomfortable around Mr. McGinn at the start of the spring semester a year ago. Her discomfort hit a high point in April, she wrote, “when he began sending me extremely inappropriate and uncomfortable messages, which continued until the beginning of the summer.”

The student declined to share the messages with The Chronicle. However, her long-term boyfriend…described some of the correspondence, including several passages that he said were sexually explicit. [The boyfriend], along with two professors with whom the student has worked, described one message in which they said Mr. McGinn wrote that he had been thinking about the student while masturbating.

Advocates of Mr. McGinn, however, say that the correspondence may have been misinterpreted when taken out of context.

Edward Erwin, a supporter of Mr. McGinn who is a professor of philosophy at the University of Miami, said Mr. McGinn was working on a book about human evolution and the hand. Part of the reason Mr. McGinn was sending messages that could be interpreted as sexually explicit, Mr. Erwin said, was probably because of communication about that research.

“There was some sexual talk, banter, puns, and jokes made between the two,” Mr. Erwin said. “The written records, I believe, show that this was an entirely consensual relationship,” he said. And that relationship, he added, was not sexual.

Leiter Reports is the popular and influential website of Brian Leiter, a professor here at the University of Chicago.

Apparently there are those who claim McGinn was misunderstood, and the emails were innocuous, but in that case why did he agree to resign? And it’s hard to misinterpret messages having the content described above. Leiter discusses the ins and outs of this case (he’s apparently quoted in the CHE article) at the link above and at another post called “Reflections on the McGinn case and sexual harassment in academic philosophy.”

59 thoughts on “Colin McGinn resigns in wake of sexual harassment charges”

  1. Oh dear, he was working on human evolution and the hand and sends serially explicit emails involving the hand.

    1. Ha ha sexually not serially. My BlackBerry is delicate and won’t swear easily or use sexual words. 😀

      1. Having done absolutely no looking into the issue, I think that’s seriously the point.

        I assume McGinn was working on evolution and the human hand as part of the seriously proposed theory that our arms are a certain length for a reason…wink, wink, nudge, nudge, knowwhatImean.

          1. Those two vowels aren’t very close to each other on the keyboard.

            No, “wink” was a reference to the industrious efficiency many men have achieved in this field.

    2. I can see how things could have been misinterpreted. He might have been just coming up on a novel idea about the evolution of masturbation and then thought to share the discovery with his student. It’s all about context.

      1. “…Mr. McGinn wrote that he had been thinking about the student while masturbating.”

        I’m not able to imagine a context that would make the above appropriate.

        1. Yes, so gross. I’ve suffered through awful remarks like that in the workplace in the past and it’s just icky.

  2. Leiter discusses the ins and outs of this case

    I’m sorry — that’s one innuendo too many.

  3. “…the correspondence may have been misinterpreted when taken out of context.”

    Who can understand philosophers, anyway?

    –

    These cases are troublesome because so much depends on whether or not women feel the need or have the courage to press cases. A few men are pilloried, many skate by unscathed. And acceptable behavior has changed a lot over the past 40 years or so.

    1. “Part of the reason Mr. McGinn was sending messages that could be interpreted as sexually explicit, Mr. Erwin said, was probably because of communication about that research.”

      Clearly analyzing empirical matters are problematic for philosophers.

      –

      Yes, these cases are merely the Hand of the iceberg. Awful, just awful.

      What bothers me with historical analysis is that it was in these cases particularly always disabuse of authority and power regardless of moral standards of acceptable behavior. Eg what where they thinking?

      1. ” . . . it was in these cases particularly always disabuse of authority and power regardless of moral standards of acceptable behavior. Eg what where they thinking?”

        Indeed. Thank you for saying that, T.

        Unfortunately a fair number of women themselves just assumed it was SOP and inevitable.

    1. My thoughts exactly. If the allegations are true, one can be pretty certain that she is not the first one at the receiving end of ‘The hand’. She is simply the first one to speak up and be taken seriously.

  6. Doesn’t Leiter’s eighth point contradict some of the other seven? “[G]iven all the facts in the public record, her complaint was clearly warranted and some disciplinary remedy against McGinn was clearly warranted” doesn’t really sound like something you should say if you’re chastising others for failing to abide by due process.

  7. Jerry,

    There is a typo here. “Although there was apparently no direct sexual contact between Leiter and his accuser, a female graduate student, she apparently received extremely inappropriate and salacious emails from McGinn.”

    You mean “McGinn and his accuser,” not “Leiter” here.

  8. Clearly McGinn failed to end his emails with “none of this email is to be made public”. 🙂

  9. Poor student; I hope the university handles the matter well and she’s not blamed for everything.

  10. His Wikipedia page says that he was an antitheist. Ouch, one would think a philosopher and atheist would “get it” when it comes to sexual harassment.

    1. Sexists exist in the atheist community, and I would add, once thrived because of the naive sentiment that atheists would know better, or at least would be smarter in terms of covering their tracks. Societal change has caught up with sexists, but it seems sexists have not caught up with societal change.

      After reading related threads elsewhere, it seems that Philosophy professors are known for such behaviour. Anecdotally, the only two professors who sexually harassed me and others were philosophy professors and both atheists.

      1. Academia, like the church, has always looked after its own and all kinds of accusations have been brushed under the carpet. I seem to recall that the dean in my college had been asked to leave an all-female college because of sexual harassment. His punishment was to be offered a similar job in a co-ed college. This was in the 80s. It probably wouldn’t happen now, but old habits die hard.

      2. The worst lechers were Philosophy professors at my grad and undergrad colleges, and both were very popular with their students too. The women they harassed were always shamed for complaining and harassed by fellow students. I’m not surprised his accuser wants to remain anonymous.

  11. It’s worth mentioning that there is a lot more to this story than the emails; the emails were just a piece of evidence that supports the student’s allegations. It’s something of a shame that the CHE article chose to focus exclusively on that, but at least it brought publicity to this incident.

  12. I can’t help somehow but feeling sorry for McGinn. The whole sordid business seems to echo Coetzee’s novel “Disgrace” – the dissolution of an academic career, the destruction of a once esteemed reputation, a reputation which is now summarized by nothing but sneering ridicule (as even found THIS thread) – and certainly for a ‘crime” far less that Coetzee’s main character, Lurie. McGinn’s particular crime? – for being a bit of a pathetic creep, for some smutty emails. His accuser remains anonymous, pursuing a future career unscathed. Somehow it all seems terribly disproportionate to me. Does this outcome represent the best that we can come up with these days – are the other actors in this little drama incapable of something a bit more balanced?

      1. I’m confused. I thought there was a gag order in place or doesn’t that apply to McGinn? His essay appears to be stating that it was merely a joke misunderstood by an eavesdropper. If that was the case, certainly he would not have had to retire and no gag order would exist.

        1. It does seem quite odd and I would think it would be unusual that such strong disciplinary measures were taken because someone overhead something and took it the wrong way.

          1. The “where there’s smoke, there must be fire” school of jurisprudence, eh Diana?

          2. Not really. I’m just saying this is what I know and it doesn’t seem to match up. You’re making some assumptions from my words.

      2. My gawd, that’s atrocious…gag-inducing…words fail me. Unless it was really from The Onion, in which case it’s great.

        Is it possible to come off as more of a pompous jerk?

        Also love the “graduate students are not what they used to be” jab.

        1. It was really odd. I obviously haven’t seen the evidence for either side and have to rely on the actions and reports of third parties but this whole piece was strangely written and really doesn’t make him look very good.

      3. Everyone is “misunderstood” when he or she is fired. I seriously doubt this is the first problem or accusation McGinn has had, hence the severity of his college’s actions.

        I remember a popular philosophy professor at my college getting fired because he kept asking his female students (especially the young and attractive ones) their age and marital statuses at the beginning of each semester. He too stated he was “misunderstood” and was trying to “get to know” his students to teach them.

    2. Uh, the accuser comes away unscathed… So, victims of sexual harassment should be punished for speaking out, is what you’re saying.

      And it’s precisely this attitude that sexually harassing your female grad students really isn’t that bad–they should be less sensitive–that fuels the incredibly hostile climate for women in philosophy. It’s not remotely innocuous, and it’s part of a culture in this discipline that leads to many women leaving philosophy rather than suffer all this their whole career.

    3. Don’t make a fuss because you might ruin somebody’s career? I would think that better advice is to not send smutty emails to your students because that’s a terrible abuse of power and, by the way, might ruin your career.

      2. Well, I cannot help but think that an email response to McGinn from the student in question saying that she finds his emails highly offensive and inappropriate would have ended the entire matter without the either the destruction of his academic career or her academic prospects. And McGinn’s willingness to resign? – perhaps he sensed that he was in a no-win situation in todays environment of correctness and his knowledge of the concern that universities have over their associated image – or even more, the potential for litigation against them for harassment.
        Perhaps he is a creep, but I do wonder at the propensity of people to be far more obsessed with the sexual proclivities of a scholar than of the content of their work. Thus endless scholarly tracts are produced over the interest of Goethe in certain attractive young women in his life, rather than the challenging content of his literary contributions.
        On an evolutionary note, this whole situation tends to confirm that we really are not far removed from chimpanzees.

        1. You’re making a lot of assumptions without knowing the details of what went on. Perhaps the student did say something or perhaps she was afraid to because she would be shamed.

          I was in a similar situation once (thankfully not with my professors who were all lovely and made academic life enjoyable) but from a really lecherous older guy I worked with when I was doing a summer job in my 20s. He said really dirty things to me and about me and I knew I would be ostracized for speaking out against him so I told a coworker (another older guy) who told him he had heard complaints about him so he’d better knock it off or he’d make it formal. This person who was harassing me, was harassing lots of other females so he had no idea where the complaint came from but he stopped his actions.

          However, after I left he was eventually fired for harassing other females when it was more accepted to tell on someone like this than it was when I was there.

          1. “Reputation, reputation, reputation! Oh, I have lost my reputation! I have lost the immortal part of myself, and what remains is bestial.”
            Well, we are ALL making assumptions regarding this case. One thing is certain though, McGinn’s career and reputation is in ruins. Does it deserve to be? Is the penalty proportionate to the actual offence? I have grave doubts about this.

          2. I don’t understand the snark of your first sentence but I can tell you that when you are sexually harassed it is much worse than reputation and you are taking a slanted view with no evidence to back it up while accusing others of the same.

          3. So McGinn says that his comments were merely lighthearted banter. And perhaps to him, they were. But the point remains that the receiver of the messages was upset and offended by them, and clearly didn’t see them as “funny.” I have read McGinn’s response to the allegations, and he seems to imply that the individual in question lacked a sense of humour, and misinterpreted his “amusing joke.” But I think he totally misses the point that even if he finds his own sense of humour hilarious (which, given his sanctimonious reply, I’m guessing is true), the fact that the receiver of the message didn’t like it gives a very strong reason for him to stop.

          4. Yes, excellent point! When I was younger, my own sense of humour got me in trouble. I like other people and want to make jokes with them but not everyone enjoys jokes even though I think I’m witty and charming. 🙂

          5. I believe I was sexually harassed by a female instructor (apparently, she was a 4th or 5th year graduate student teaching the course) after the class (not the course) ended and she and I were walking from one building to another building. I had noticed that during the semester, she had spent a large amount of time looking at me during her lectures, but I was also a very active student who regularly answered questions in class. While we were walking, she offered several flirtatious comments that I, naively, did not realize were flirtatious. She then whispered in my ear that she “was curious about the size of my member”. THAT is sexual harassment, right? After telling her that I was not interested and that I had a girlfriend, she quickly apologized and walked away. During the remainder of the semester, I did not speak in class, nor did she look at me very often. It was uncomfortable both at the time which she whispered that phrase to me and for the remainder of the semester.

            All of that said, it was only DISCOMFORT. I am, now, a 6th year graduate student in philosophy teaching several courses per semester, while also finishing my dissertation, so I am no worse for the wear. This incident, while uncomfortable, was not something I felt necessary to report to anyone, nor would I have wanted her to get fired (or have her future career in academia destroyed over it). I took it for what it was – she made a mistake in judgment because she was physically attracted to me, and my discomfort in her class for the remainder of the semester was matched by her discomfort in the class the remainder of the semester. I imagine that this sort of thing happens to attractive female students more often than it happens to attractive male students, but I really am failing to see how such offenses should be punishable by firing someone from their job?

        2. . . . would have ended the entire matter without the either the destruction of his academic career or her academic prospects.

          Respectfully–what planet are you from?

          That is not how it goes in the real world with such an extreme power imbalance. And there’s a reason that institutional images are tarnished and litigation is a possibility in these situations; the traditional culture is toxic to half the world’s population.

          I agree with your evo-psych observation, though.

          1. With great respect Diana, I think you are overreacting. Someone you describe as being in a “power position” sends some lewd and suggestive emails. The necessary penalty must be the termination of the senders career, the destruction of his reputation and academic standing? Isn’t this just a bit vindictive? Your justification for setting this standard – “the traditional culture is toxic to half the world’s population.” You suggest that the woman is totally unable to first deal with the situation on her own, to “put the creep in his place” without necessarily going to the authorities to seek such a remedy. Isn’t this, in itself, a bit condescending about the ability of a woman to look after her own interests in dealing with this sort of problem? In the commercial “real world” that I’m familiar with, sorting out such a chap is absolutely not career limiting. And yes, where there are offenders who continue to carry out such harassment, they are fired. The academic world is different indeed, for a reputation once tarnished is always tarnished. I would think that this reality requires a balance – some justice as well as some retribution.

          2. I think you mean “Diane” but I share her perspective so let me also answer. This student is in a less powerful position. If she says something to the professor (and maybe she did, we don’t know) she could find herself limited from further grad school work. This is why there are codes of conduct. If McGinn violated those codes of conduct that is his fault, not the grad student’s for reporting said violation.

          3. Howard, I understand your POV, but it’s exactly that sentiment that allows the status quo to remain so. You have no idea how prevalent this sort of abuse of power is, or how disheartening it always is to have the women further denigrated as contemptibly helpless.

            I have no doubt that in your commercial world, “sorting out such a chap is absolutely not career limiting.” That, again, is part of the problem. It’s not far from the “wink, wink, nudge, nudge, boys will be boys, and after all we have more important concerns to deal with” prevailing climate.

          4. These are very difficult issues and I certainly don’t claim to have the answers. I just feel that we should not allow gender issues to bias our judgment on dealing with both the victim and the accused with as much fairness and justice that we can muster. I say this because harassment, in my experience is not gender specific. With men harassment takes the form of being bullied, and the effects can be brutal. This is partly due to the fact that the male victim is often too embarrassed to complain, either to the bully or to the management -it’s too “unmanly”. I somehow feel, amateur psychologist that I am, that bullying also has an element of sexual abuse in it. At least women have the “luxury” of having sexual harassment recognised as a totally unacceptable evil. I am a technical guy who somehow got thrust into senior management and had to deal with these issues. Many of the problems I had to sort out were those of bullying, and some were sexual harassment. Every instance is different, and sometimes the charges are over-exaggerated or the actions of the perpetrator only clumsy stupidity without malicious intent. Firing a person is easy, but a career is in your hands, so it better be an appropriate action. Doing the right thing is bloody difficult. Judgment of what to do in any instant needs to be dispassionate in ALL circumstances.

            PS: Apologies for the Diane/Diana mix-up.

          5. I agree that workplaces can go either way with things like this. I’m hoping they were fair wrt the McGinn issue. I know that I was at one workplace for 8 years and left because of its bully culture. Bullies were encouraged and after witnessing and being on the receiving end of atrocities, I left. Recently a friend of mine (a male) was fired by a bully (female) after being what can only be called abusive for years. So it isn’t gender specific, as you say and workplaces can be good or bad.

          6. Howard, thank you for the measured, non-inflammatory reply about a subject that usually flares out of control in a hurry. As the mother of both an adult son and an adult daughter, I agree with you that parts of our culture are toxic to both sexes. (And BTW, I am old enough to be uncomfortable with current framings such as “toxic culture;” just finding it a convenient shorthand here.) One of the hardest parts of raising them was navigating the gender role norms in a way that allowed them look at such expectations critically without becoming social outcasts themselves. With boys, it was the prevailing jocks-rule atmosphere that seemed especially poisonous. (For that matter, both kids having participated in team sports, I’m a bit jaundiced about the universal approbation attributed to that experience. But I digress.)

            It may also be fair to say that sexism is a subset of bullying, which I agree is a horrible problem. I wish we would unite in a fight for the humane, dignified treatment of all people, but that doesn’t appear to be a workable strategy. (And here I’ve got an overwhelming urge to commit evolutionary psychology. 😉 )

            I, too, was once a manager, and have strong feelings about the importance of saving careers. Unfortunately it often seems to take a well publicized pillorying for entrenched attitudes to change. (Actually, that should be “entrenched behavior.” Attitude changing is a much longer and more difficult process.)

            Apologies for venturing so far into tl,dr territory.

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