#810 Jeff McMahan: Threats to Academic Freedom, and the Journal of Controversial Ideas
Dr. Jeff McMahan is Sekyra and White’s Professor of Moral Philosophy at the University of Oxford. He specializes in Practical Ethics, Political Philosophy, and Ethics. He is editor of the Journal of Controversial Ideas. He’s the author of books like The Morality of Nationalism, The Ethics of Killing: Problems at the Margins of Life, and Killing in War.
This is our third interview. You can watch the first one here: https://youtu.be/cNYQVJoF7JM
And the second one here: https://youtu.be/MIm3gOZvA0k
In this episode, we talk about academic freedom. We start by discussing the role of universities, and if political activism is incompatible with academia. We discuss if someone should be punished academically for expressing non-normative views. We talk about current threats to academic freedom from the political left and the right. We discuss if all speech and ideas should be allowed on campus and in academic work. We talk about respecting the sensibilities of students, and the idea of trigger warnings. We discuss the role of moral philosophers within academia. We talk about the Journal of Controversial Ideas, the motivations behind it, and its goals. We discuss publication criteria and academic standards. We talk about the concept of “cancel culture”, and the controversial idea of questioning free speech. Finally, we discuss if the motivations of academics matter.
Time Links:
The role of universities
Is political activism incompatible with academia?
Should someone be punished academically for expressing non-normative views?
Threats to academic freedom from the left and the right
Should all speech and ideas be allowed on campus and in academic work?
The sensibilities of students, and trigger warnings
Should academics care about the norms of their culture?
The role of moral philosophers
The Journal of Controversial Ideas
What is a controversial idea?
Publication criteria and academic standards
On the term “cancel culture”
Questioning free speech as a controversial idea
Do the motivations of academics matter?
Follow Dr. McMahan’s work!
Follow Dr. McMahan’s work:
Faculty Page: http://bit.ly/367MzFG
PhilPeople page: http://bit.ly/2GjzJbE
Personal website: http://bit.ly/36atClp
Amazon page: https://amzn.to/2MNC1Ud