1 day ago
Academic Freedom Debate Intensifies Over Racist Research and Speech
Nathan Cofnas says that different racial groups may have natural genetic differences in intelligence.
Most academics reject this kind of race science and consider it disproven.
He also made offensive comments about Black people and high-profile jobs.
Cambridge University did not fire him because his comments were lawful, although Emmanuel College stopped associating with him.
Cofnas later criticized the academic credentials of Jason Arday, a Cambridge professor who subsequently died.
Ghent University suspended Cofnas while examining his conduct.
The university has now lifted the suspension but requires him to work remotely during its investigation.
Some academics say Cofnas was punished for exposing problems, while others say his conduct damaged the university community.
The larger question is how far academic freedom should protect racist research and speech.
Nathan Cofnas argues that genetic differences in intelligence exist between ethnic groups, a view rejected by the academic consensus.
Cofnas’s offensive comments about Black people did not lead Cambridge University to fire him, but Emmanuel College later disassociated itself from him.
Cofnas claimed credit for a media controversy involving Cambridge professor Jason Arday, whose death later prompted an inquest.
Ghent University suspended Cofnas while investigating his comments, then lifted the suspension while requiring him to work remotely.
The dispute has divided academics over whether academic freedom protects controversial research and public statements promoting racial hierarchy.
- Who
- Nathan Cofnas, Ghent University, Cambridge University, Emmanuel College, and academics supporting or opposing Cofnas.
- What
- A dispute over whether academic freedom protects Cofnas’s race-related research and public comments.
- Where
- Ghent University in Belgium, with related disputes involving Cambridge University in Britain and academic institutions in the United States.
- When
- The controversy followed Cofnas’s Cambridge blog controversy two years earlier and Ghent University’s subsequent suspension and investigation.
- Why
- Because Cofnas’s research and comments about racial differences and Black people have been challenged as racist, while supporters describe him as a whistleblower.
Supporters of Cofnas
Critics of Cofnas
Academic freedom
Supporters of Cofnas
Cofnas’s supporters say he was punished for whistleblowing and that controversial research should receive broad academic protection.
Critics of Cofnas
Critics say academic freedom requires relevant expertise and does not protect conduct that damages an academic community.
Ghent suspension
Supporters of Cofnas
Supporters characterize the suspension as retaliation for Cofnas’s scrutiny of Jason Arday’s academic credentials.
Critics of Cofnas
Ghent academics say concerns about Cofnas’s appointment and conduct existed before the Arday controversy.
Research and public speech
Supporters of Cofnas
Supporters argue that offensive ideas and research should not by themselves justify professional sanctions when they are lawful.
Critics of Cofnas
Critics distinguish protected research from public statements that promote racial hierarchy or target students and colleagues.
Key facts
- Research position
- Cofnas describes himself as a “race realist” and argues that ethnic groups have innate genetic differences in intelligence and brain size.
- Academic consensus
- The article says race science and eugenics have been comprehensively debunked by the academic consensus.
- Cambridge employment
- Cambridge University took no action over Cofnas’s lawful but offensive comments; his three-year early career fellowship ended normally.
- Court ruling
- A court found that Emmanuel College did not discriminate against Cofnas’s beliefs and had acted proportionately over his conduct and its effect on the college community.
- Ghent status
- Ghent University lifted Cofnas’s suspension but requires him to work remotely while it continues investigating.
- Petitions
- A letter defending Cofnas gathered almost 1,000 signatures, while a letter supporting his suspension gathered almost 5,000.
- Research project
- Cofnas was employed for a project on “liberalism’s birth problem,” which critics say was separate from his race-science interests.
Quotes
Nathan Cofnas
Academic and self-described “race realist” whose research and public comments prompted disputes at Cambridge and Ghent University.
“in a meritocracy, blacks would disappear from almost all high-profile positions outside of sports and entertainment.”
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“This is what happens when you do not give Cofnas a job”
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An Emmanuel College student
Student cited in the court judgment concerning Emmanuel College’s decision to disassociate from Cofnas.
“The College would not associate itself with an astronomer who believed that the sun orbited the earth, or a medic who believed scrofula could be cured by the touch of a king. The claim black people are only fit to be sports stars and entertainers has no more validity.”
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Sources
Related news
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Ghent Allows Nathan Cofnas Limited Work During Investigation
Race, Media Scrutiny, and the Death of Jason Arday
Cambridge professor Jason Arday found dead after plagiarism dispute
