The Farce of Academic Activism: When Universities Pander to Ideologues
22 hours ago Charles Rotter
https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/sustainability/articles/10.3389/frsus.2021.679019/fullUniversities have traditionally served as bastions of free inquiry and impartial research. This tradition is long past. The recent shift towards unabashed advocacy and activism, is championed by “From Publications to Public Actions: The Role of Universities in Facilitating Academic Advocacy and Activism in the Climate and Ecological Emergency,” and continues this disturbing trend. This paper, ostensibly published in the name of sustainability, reeks of ideological fervor rather than any kind of genuine pursuit of knowledge. Let’s dissect this document, piece by piece, and unveil the glaring absurdities and dangers inherent in this new academic dogma.
A Manufactured “Emergency”
The paper begins with a dire warning: “Planetary heating threatens the collapse of human civilization and ecosystems worldwide”. Such alarmist rhetoric, reminiscent of doomsday cults, sets the tone for what follows. The authors rely on the declarations of over 11,000 scientists to assert that the Earth faces a “climate emergency”. However, they conveniently overlook the nuances and complexities inherent in climate science. The use of the term “emergency” is a rhetorical tool designed to stifle debate and justify extreme measures. It is a classic case of crying wolf, where any dissent is labeled as denialism, and only the most radical solutions are deemed acceptable.
“An emergency is an urgent situation requiring immediate action, yet, despite thousands of Higher Education (HE) institutions around the world having issued their own ‘climate emergency declaration’ [UNEP (United Nations Environment Programme), 2019] and the widespread recognition that universities play a key role in contributing to the public good, the HE sector is not rising to the collective challenge with the urgency commensurate with the warnings”.
https://wattsupwiththat.com/2024/08/04/the-farce-of-academic-activism-when-universities-pander-to-ideologues/
