For some values of "free"

A Princeton professor says he “envision[s] a free speech and academic discourse that is flexed to one specific aim, and that aim is the promotion of social justice, and an anti-racist social justice at that.”

Princeton presumably has some bright people on its faculty, so they should be able to work out that speech and academic discourse aren't particularly free if they're "flexed to one specific aim." He's free to flex his own speech toward that aim, of course. The problem arises when he "flexes" everyone else's to the same rigid direction.

I wouldn't censor this dolt, of course. I confine myself to ridiculing him. I'd even debate him if he'd up his intellectual game, starting with figuring out what words mean. "Flexing to an aim" is a seriously weird form of discourse.

6 comments:

Assistant Village Idiot said...

I would likely be unable to keep my temper in such a debate. I might not even be able to watch you try it without losing my temper. Duct tape, maybe.

james said...

Debate is ruled out a priori, since it isn't "flexed to one specific aim."

David Foster said...

Note the absolute fury in some quarters that is greeting Elon Musk's involvement in Twitter and especially his intent to move it in an open and free-speech direction....amped to to a near-infinite level this morning, I am sure. See my post The Rage of the Prince-Electors:

https://chicagoboyz.net/archives/67520.html

E Hines said...

I actually agree with the Princeton prof.

Especially since the only social justice is that underpinned with unfettered free speech.

Il faut de la liberté d'expression, et encore de la liberté d'expression, et toujours de la liberté d'expression!

Eric Hines

Grim said...

I wonder why he felt it necessary to write this down? It’s been obvious that this was the model for years now.

raven said...

"flex to an aim"

A piece of good Yew and a clothyard shaft.