Academic Freedom

"Can a geology teacher blithely tell his students that the earth is flat, or a European history professor that the Holocaust didn't happen? That's not academic freedom, but dereliction of duty."

-- Jerry A. Coyne, biologist, scientist, author

The following question was asked of me.  I was going to add it to my next post of answers to questions, but my answer here, my opinion, became an essay of particular importance to me.  It concerns the teaching of truth.  Right off the bat, those who know me know that the League of the Perpetually Offended will take umbrage at what I write.  Like I care.

The question put to me was, "Why are academic freedom and related values important, and what are some of the threats or challenges to these values?"  My answer follows:

"Academic freedom" has much to do with freedom of inquiry.  This freedom of inquiry is necessary when searching for the truth, not an opinion.  However, in my humble opinion, threats to academic freedom come from indoctrination to a particular belief. 

“Those who win the war write the history,” is very true. Slavery as the prime reason for the Civil War in America is an example. If slavery was the prime reason, why did Lincoln wait until the third year of the conflict to sign the Emancipation Proclamation? One would have thought that document should have been the impetus for the conflict. No, the Civil War seems to have been primarily about economics and control of Southern products.  Would it seem, then, we have been indoctrinated to believe a lie perpetrated on us by the winners of the conflict?  Winners who, until the Proclamation, also bought into slavery?  More importantly, why does it seem minorities continue buying into a "plantation mentality" now being perpetrated by the North?  Is any of this true?  I don't know.  Do you?  Or do you simply buy off on what you're told?

Academic freedom means that your opinion, in the search for truth, won’t have you ostracized for having one, and certainly not by the “professors” charged with educating said truth but who don't. What they seem to profess is their personal opinion, not the facts. Like news journalists, they editorialize.  They give their opinion, a slant which may have nothing to do with facts and truth.  And, herein lies the problem - the facts and truth. Just because a professor professes something, does not mean it has any validity. However, it is a starting point for students, for anyone, to find out for themselves what the true story is behind all the bullshit they hear. This is academic freedom. This is true learning. This is not indoctrination to a political point of view.

The truth can only be what it is. It isn’t right or wrong, it is the truth. If truth is uncertain it must be taught as an uncertainty, not as the truth.

These values are important. They are essential when teaching history. They are essential because, if history were really taught, we may not have cities burning and statues being torn down. Right or wrong the statues have historical value. They are a teaching tool, a conversation piece about the truth of our history.

The uninhibited search for truth, this should be the ultimate point behind academic freedom.

The most important aspect of freedom of speech is freedom to learn. All education is a continuous dialogue - questions and answers that pursue every problem on the horizon. That is the essence of academic freedom.

-- William O. Douglas, jurist, politician, Associate Justice of the SCOTUS

Editor's Note

(Re: disclaimer cum "get out of jail free" card)

Before you go getting your panties in a bunch, it is essential to understand that this is just an opinion site and, as such, can be subjected to scrutiny by anyone with a differing opinion. It doesn't make either opinion any more right or wrong than the other. An opinion, presented in this context, is a way of inciting others to think and, hopefully, to form opinions of their own, if they haven't already done so. This is also why, occasionally, I will present an "opinion" just to stir an emotional pot. Where it may sound like I agree with the statements made, I'm more interested in getting others to consider an alternate viewpoint. 

It is my fervent hope that we keep open and active minds when reading opinions and while engaging in peaceful and constructive discussion, in an arena of mutual respect, concerning those opinions put forth. After over twenty years with military intelligence, I have come to believe engaging each other in this manner and in this arena is the way we will learn tolerance and respect for differing beliefs, cultures, and viewpoints.

We all fall from grace, some more often than others; it is part of being human. God's test for us is what we learn from the experience, and what we do afterward.

Pastor Tony spent 22 years with the United States Air Force Intelligence as a planner, analyst, briefer, instructor, and senior manager. He spent 17 years, following his service career, working with the premier, world-renowned, Institutional Review Board helping to protect the rights of human subjects involved in pharmaceutical research. Ordained 1n 2013 as an "interfaith" minister, he founded the Congregation for Religious Tolerance in response to intolerance shown by Christians toward peaceful Islam. As the weapon for his war on intolerance he chose the pen, and wages his "battle" in the guise of the Congregation's official online blog, The Path, of which he is both author and editor. "The Path" offers a vehicle for commentary and guidance concerning one's own personal, spiritual, path toward peace and the final destination for us all. He currently resides in Pass Christian, Mississippi, where he volunteers as a chaplain at the regional medical center.