

Discover more from Ignorantia Peritorum

Sergio Klainerman, a respected professor of mathematics at Princeton University, outlines a compelling case that the Princeton administration has abandoned the principles of academic freedom to “the Joseph McCarthy interpretation of the First Amendment”" in a new post on Tablet magazine: Eisgruber’s Emails [1].
I urge anyone interested in attending this institution to first read his reflections. Some select quotes:
‘‘Bari Weiss described the ideology that has taken over America’s institutions of higher education: “Forgiveness is replaced with punishment. Debate is replaced with dis-invitation and de-platforming. Diversity is replaced with homogeneity of thought. Inclusion with exclusion. Excellence with equity.”
‘Princeton University—the prestigious institution where I have taught mathematics and made my home for the last 35 years, … is being destroyed from within by an administration committed to the ideology that Weiss accurately identified.’
‘Eisgruber came to the extraordinary conclusion that the free speech protections denied to a faculty member nevertheless extended to administrators who used university resources to smear and harass a member of the academic community to a captive audience of incoming students with no possibility of rebuttal.’
‘Responsibility of course, also lies with faculty. My colleagues and I have for too long relegated our most basic academic responsibilities to an ever-growing and menacingly overreaching bureaucracy.’
‘[F]reedom of speech, diversity of thought, and academic excellence are far more valuable for your beloved son or daughter than the alleged prestige of a top degree.’
(Hat-tip: Prof. Aryeh Kontorovich)
[1] https://www.tabletmag.com/sections/news/articles/eisgruber-emails-princeton-katz