Why Evolution is True is a blog written by Jerry Coyne, centered on evolution and biology but also dealing with diverse topics like politics, culture, and cats.
The short take: Williams College, a ritzy and well-regarded liberal arts school, but one infected with a bad case of Wokeness, finally published its policy on free expression. It’s not as bad as I thought from previous drafts, but still suffers from insisting that one can have nearly complete freedom of speech coexisting happily with … Continue reading Williams College finally has a “free speech” policy
As Professor Luana Maroja wrote on this site some time ago, Williams College (where she teaches) is embroiled in a debate about whether to adopt the Chicago Principles of Free Expression, a university policy outlining First Amendment guidelines for free speech on campus, and one that has been adopted by over fifty American colleges. Unfortunately, … Continue reading Williams College considers ways to water down free speech
UPDATE: In a letter to the Williams community, President Maud Mandel has accepted the committee’s recommendations “in full.” The policies suggested by the committee report will all be acted on. She also says this: More ambitiously, the Committee recommends that the college “publish and affirm a statement on expression and inclusion.” I strongly agree that … Continue reading Williams College finally produces a lame draft of a “free speech” policy
I’ve recently heard from Dr. Luana Maroja, an evolutionary biologist at Williams College who is an associate professor of biology as well as chair of the biochemistry program. Luana wanted to describe some of the opposition she and others have faced at Williams College in trying to get it to adopt the Chicago Principles, my university’s … Continue reading A Williams College professor describes her school’s fight against free speech
Williams College, a very prestigious school in Williamstown, Massachusetts, is currently in the throes of a debate about free speech. In this case the professors (not all of them, but many) want Williams to adopt the Chicago Principles of Free Expression (the “Chicago Principles”). The students, however, don’t want any stinking principles; they want endless … Continue reading More free speech kerfuffle at Williams College, a school on the road to becoming Evergreen State
We’re #1 again: in freedom of speech, that is. The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, FIRE, has listed its annual free speech rankings, with the lowest numbers going to the best schools. A number of things are assessed in these rankings, including student views (how comfortable they are expressing ideas, acceptability of disruptive conduct, … Continue reading FIRE free-speech rankings again put Chicago on top, but Columbia at rock bottom
Conor Friedersdorf has a new piece in The Atlantic that tackles a question that vexes many: what happens if a university or institution has a free-speech policy but at the same time guarantees an “inclusive and welcoming environment” for everyone? Now we already know that these two policies will be incompatible in some cases, for … Continue reading The Atlantic ponders the tension between freedom of speech and inclusivity
The Massachusetts Institute of technology (MIT) was badly burned over the Dorian Abbot affair after it rescinded an invitation to University of Chicago geosciences professor Dorian Abbot to give a prestigious lecture. The invitation was withdrawn after MIT found out that Abbot posted YouTube videos in which he criticized DEI initiatives. It was not good … Continue reading MIT adopts a slightly hedged “free expression” statement
For a long time the University of Chicago has been #1 among all rated American colleges and university’s in the free-speech ranking of FIRE (the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education). I’ve been beefing for over a year about my school’s unwillingness to enforce its own speech rules, though, by allowing departments to make official … Continue reading University of Chicago no longer #1 in free speech rankings
Given the hegemony and influence of “progressives” who aren’t “progressive” when they try to stifle speech, there can’t be too many of these organizations. We have, among others, the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education, the Foundation Against Intolerance and Racism, Counterweight, and the Academic Freedom Alliance. Now we have a new one: The United … Continue reading A new free speech organization
