I've been reading Gary Marcus' book Kluge: The Haphazard Evolution of the Human Mind, mainly because of my interest in mental limitations (cognitive closure and all that).
As the editor of Philosopt, I have a very hands-off (pun intended) stance in regards to editorial content. Both Colin McGinn and Mark Rowlands write here and I have invited others whose work I think readers interested in philosophy outside of an academic context would enjoy. I am not a bona fide academic, although I have been a graduate student, a Fulbright scholar, and published writer in my chosen professional field of film. From personal experience, I know that certain disciplines in academia are inclined to foster environments that favor male students; philosophy has such a reputation. I am not inclined to explore the myriad causes or offer a remedy but know from first-hand experience that part of the cause is because students who tend to pursue advanced degrees are encouraged, nurtured and mentored. More boys than girls receive the necessary encouragement and attention. I believe, based on my professional relationship with Colin that has spanned fifteen years in a non-academic context, that this was his intent with graduate student NN. I make this assumption for two reasons: Colin has always encouraged my own interests in philosophy and fiction writing and in all the years of our relationship I cannot recall one inappropriate comment that made me uncomfortable.
As a woman, I am 100% outraged by misogyny, whether subtle or blatant; it exists in manifold form. It should, whenever possible, be nipped in the bud and addressed but I am equally outraged by the chain of events that have resulted in Colin’s resignation, which I have outlined:
--there was no due process and an immediate assumption of guilt. I am sympathetic to Colin’s choice not to pursue an inquiry by the Faculty Senate Committee as he believed that the ruling would be overturned by the administration despite their findings and lack of evidence. I don’t blame Colin; I served on a grand jury and all that the prosecutor had to say was ‘kiddie porn,’ for the jury to vote guilty regardless of evidence. I also initially assumed that there were additional complaints that Colin did not want to surface. It is my understanding that there were none and the administration could not find any evidence to support the claims of innapropiate correspondence, when taken out of context, beyond the two e-mails.
--the context of the conversation was completely ignored by the administration in regards to the subject of the research.
--the punishment far exceeds the 'crime' Colin has been accused of.
--there is an immediate assumption of abuse of power due to Colin’s position and sex but a graduate student is an adult, not a powerless victim. She consented to be his RA and understood the subject matter.
--comments on the blog, such as “He doth protest too much,” are the equivalent of saying to a woman accused of being a witch that she ‘doth protest her innocence too much.” Best way to see if she is innocent is if she sinks to the bottom of the river if you tie her up and throw her in, no?
--anonymity. Not one party involved, except Colin, has publicly been named, not even the commentators to this blog.
I look forward reading more of Colin’s writing. I think his decision to resign under the circumstances was a wise choice. The chain of events highlights the sad fact that in our pursuit of a gender neutral academia, which is a laudable goal, professors such as Colin McGinn who sought to nurture a female student, had such unforeseeable results from which nobody benefits.
Elizabeth Sheldon
Editor
My cultural heroes are: Oscar Wilde, Bertrand Russell, Vladimir Nabokov, Jean-Paul Sartre, Philip Larkin, Kingsley and Martin Amis, Peter Cook, John Lennon, and Larry David (among many others).
On a couple of emails
The student (hereafter NN) and I were engaged on what we called “the Genius Project”.
Running with the Pack will be published on March 7th – with Granta, the publishers of The Philosopher and the Wolf. The launch coincided with a scheduled (and, needless to say, very well-earned) sabbatical from the University of Miami, and before I knew it I found myself on a tour of the UK: split between March and May (in between I’ll be spending a month at the École Normale Supérieure in Lyon, where I’ll be Visiting Professor). I’ll post details of the March schedule as soon as they have been finalized.
What is the state of belief of an atheist? An atheist is often defined as someone who does not believe in God. It is quite true that an atheist does not believe in God, but that is insufficient to define the state of belief of an atheist.