Attention Economy


Thursday, June 16, 2022

The Growing Threat of Self-Censorship in the Academic World

The Chill on Campus
https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2022/06/campus-free-speech-self-censorship/661282/
Yascha Mounk notes:
One of the things I most loved about college was the opportunity to debate important topics. A group of friends would congregate in someone’s room, drink cheap wine or beer, and have freewheeling discussions late into the night about the nature of love, the existence of God, or the desirability of socialism. None of us wanted to be either a sycophant or a devil’s advocate; we were genuinely trying to understand the world and what we thought about it. Though we took our debates seriously, we were able to speak without fear or hesitation. We knew that we all had permission to give an argument a clear run, try out a new position, even adopt provocative stances if that was where our reasoning led us in the moment. It never crossed our mind that something we might say would result in losing friends or being socially shunned. On the few occasions when an argument got too heated, an apology the next day would make things right. It saddens me that many students in college today will not have a chance to enjoy that experience.
 
Related:
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2022/06/15/cambridge-succumbing-woke-virus/