Academic Freedom lecture at K College

By Sebastian Fryer
Western Herald

Princeton University professor Dr. Alan Ryan gave a lecture at Kalamazoo College Tuesday night entitled, “Academic Freedom.”

The event was part of a program provided by Phi Beta Kappa, which makes available each year 12 or more distinguished scholars who visit a series of colleges and universities with chapters of Phi Beta Kappa.  During their visit, speakers spend two days on campus reading and talking with students and faculty members and taking part in classroom discussions and lectures.  The program, which has been in existence for 54 years, encourages discussion between students and visiting scholars.

Ryan began his career as a lecturer at the Keele University in England.  Ryan later taught philosophy and politics at Oxford University and became a professor of politics at Princeton University.  In 1996, Ryan was appointed warden (head of college) of New College at Oxford.
Ryan is also the author of “The Philosophy of John Stuart Mill,” “The Philosophy of Social Sciences,” and “Liberal Anxieties and the Liberal Education.”

The lecture was held in the Olmsted Room in Mandelle Hall, located on Kalamazoo College’s campus.  The event saw an audience turnout of about 20 people.

The lecture covered topics such as the history of the founding of the founding of Stanford University and the rights of professors and students.

“There’s a distinctive kind of intellectual freedom that liberal education exists to foster it,” Ryan said.

Ryan argued that intellectual freedom is separate from political freedoms, such as freedom of speech.

“The point of academic freedom is to let a thousand flowers bloom,” Ryan said in reference to intellectual minds at colleges and universities.

Ryan also gave his opinion on the difference between facts and opinions.

“Nobody, whether age 18 or 80, has any right to give their opinion of Plato, ever,” Ryan said.

“What Plato is about is arguments.  Plato doesn’t express opinions about the truth or the
beautiful, the real or justice; Plato tries to get you into accepting the argument.  The only accurate response is to look at the argument and to hide it or accept it.”

Short URL: http://www.westernherald.com/?p=14217

Posted by bbohlen on Jan 28 2010. Filed under Campus, News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry

Bethany Bohlen
Bethany Bohlen is the Photo and Art Editor for the Western Herald, Western Michigan University's student newspaper, in Kalamazoo, Michigan. She has worked for the Western Herald photography department since 2009, and was promoted to an editorial position. She also worked for the Alpena Community College Crosscut from 2008-2009. http://www.westernherald.com