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.
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
This is a sad tale, because academics with an argument to make about diversity have scuppered themselves by comparing diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives (DEI) in American universities to the “race obsession” of Nazis, which led to the gutting and degradation of German universities before and during World War II. They argue that we are … Continue reading A U of C prof and his colleague damn DEI initiatives in Newsweek, comparing such initiatives to the race obsession of Nazi Germany
Actually, the word “kerfuffle” may not be appropriate here, as this is a pretty serious conflict between, on the one hand, a professor who takes issue with his department’s policies about diversity and inclusion, and, on the other, students and alumni, who, outraged by the professor’s opinion, have taken steps, in a letter/petition, to get … Continue reading A kerfuffle about diversity and inclusion at the University of Chicago
Yesterday I reported on a fracas going on in my university’s Department of Geophysical Science. An associate professor, Dorian Abbot, put up four YouTube videos (now removed) questioning the department’s procedures for diversity and inclusion, as well as the need for affirmative action as opposed to pure meritocracy. A group of students and alums reacted … Continue reading U of C President Robert Zimmer issues statement supporting faculty’s freedom of speech
This paper written by four chemists just appeared in Nachrichten aus der Chemie (“Chemistry News”), the news outlet outlet of the German Chemical Society. It’s in English, and free online, so you should be able to open the paper by clicking the screenshot below. It’s a call for scientists to resist ideological pressures that may distort … Continue reading New paper on “cancel culture in science”
Joshua Katz was a classics professor at Princeton until May of this year, when he was summarily fired for having a consensual relationship with an undergraduate at his school. As this article the NY Times recounts, the circumstances of Katz’s being fired were murky and controversial, as apparently he had already been punished for this relationship … Continue reading In praise of my university
Good morning on the cruelest day of the week, for it’s Tuesday November 9, 2021: National Greek Yogurt Day. The thicker the better: I recommend Cabot Yogurt at 10% fat, which is hard to find in Chicago. I used to mix it with a bit of wild huckleberry preserves (available on Amazon and very good) … Continue reading Tuesday: Hili dialogue
On November 9 I described a proposed University of Chicago course, “The Problem of Whiteness”, to be taught under the aegis of CRES (“Critical Race and Ethnic Studies”). The course was brought to national attention—publicized, as usual, by right-wing venues like this one—via the tweets of one of our undergraduates: The course description describes whiteness … Continue reading Our College Dean responds to threats and calls for cancellation of a class on the “Problem of Whiteness”
We’ve met Anna Krylov on these pages before (see here); she’s a quantum chemist and the Gabilan Distinguished Professor in Science and Engineering and Professor of Chemistry at the University of Southern California. And we met her because she’s an opponent of the invasion of wokeness into STEM, and because she somehow got an anti-woke paper, … Continue reading Intellectural freedom in STEM: An interview with Anna Krylov
Elizabeth Weiss, a professor of anthropology at San José State University in California, wrote a summary of Stanford’s Academic Freedom Conference this fall for Quillette (click headline below to to read). She was not only a reporter and a participant, but also a victim—professionally damaged by those who violated her academic freedom. That’s because she … Continue reading A participant reports on last fall’s Stanford Academic Freedom Conference
