Who defines academic freedom?
Let’s agree that all colleges and universities are biased and that their “world
views” influence the way graduates see the world. By Al Hiebert
should college and univer- sity students be free to think, say and do whatever they want? Within legal limits, of course. The first response of many
Canadians is a quick “yes.” But in some
ways, it’s not that simple.
Should a professor at an evangelical
university be free to publically argue
that Jesus was just a man and not God?
Should a Christian prof at a secular
university be free to argue that non-
Christian religions are fabrications un-
supported by historical evidence, even
when large parts of the student body are
devout Hindus, Sikhs and Muslims?
What Kind of freedom?
The Canadian Association of Univer-
sity Teachers (CAUT) defines academic
freedom in a 2005 document as “the
right to teach, learn, study and publish
free of orthodoxy or threat of reprisal
and discrimination.”
It’s pretty obvious that “freedom from
orthodoxy” is not what Christian schools
are after.
