NationStates Jolt Archive

Larry Summers, currently the big kahuna at Harvard, was just formally reprimanded (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A38375-2005Mar15.html) for some remarks (http://www.president.harvard.edu/speeches/2005/nber.html) he made on gender disparity in science.

I am curious to see people's opinions on his actual comments (http://www.president.harvard.edu/speeches/2005/nber.html).

One wonders what happened to academic freedom that most universities so highly espouse. There's been a huge controversy over Ward Chruchill, and plenty of people who say that he shouldn't be fired due to academic freedom. Why can't we judge Summers on the same grounds?

There is absolutely nothing in his comments to be reprimanded about.

The reprimand seems to be more politically motivated from the story, rather than having anything directly to do with what he said.

Summers is an academic in what field? Could this not just be power politics between the various schools and departments at Harvard.

(I work in academia, it is as cut-throat as any mafia enterprise.)

Summers is an academic in what field?
Summers is an economist. He was the Secretary of the Treasury after Robert Rubin, if memory serves, before presiding at Harvard.

Could this not just be power politics between the various schools and departments at Harvard.
This has been a topic in the national media since the speech and has been the subject of some various complaints and protesting beyond Harvard itself.

One wonders what happened to academic freedom that most universities so highly espouse. There's been a huge controversy over Ward Chruchill, and plenty of people who say that he shouldn't be fired due to academic freedom. Why can't we judge Summers on the same grounds?
Because Summers was stating facts (aren't they a pain, those facts?), not misguided opinions. Interestingly, as usual, when the facts go against liberal orthodoxy, the outcries for apologies, reparations, senstivity training, and all the other PC junk is deafening. The calls for tolerance are just as loud when the Ward Churchills of the world spew their venomous statements.

Summers is an economist. He was the Secretary of the Treasury after Robert Rubin, if memory serves, before presiding at Harvard.
Thank you. Not being a citizen of the USA such details are often missed


This has been a topic in the national media since the speech and has been the subject of some various complaints and protesting beyond Harvard itself.
It has actually been international. The BBC carried/carries an item on it.
The complaints and protests are to be expected and ignored. Free speech and all that allows people, who don't actually know what he said to be outraged, or those with an anti-establishment agenda to distort the issue.
I was referring to the internal reprimand, when I was suggesting that this was political (office politics, not national politics).