We may be approaching the point where all sides have aired their views about the Synthese issues, but Leiter has a post today well worth quoting in full, which (both Professor Antonelli's data point and Leiter's broader morals) I think expresses beautifully many of our worries. Moreover these broader morals are ones that I think all sides to the debates thusfar should take very seriously. As to Leiter's points, it just seems obvious philosophers do have obligations to support those like Forrest (and Nussbaum's analogous work, for example), and that to the extent that any of our own actions or inactions have undermined them, then we have derived obligations to rectify this.
Aldo Antonelli (UC Davis) writes:
After sitting on fence for a while (mostly out of respect for the reputations of the Synthese editors), I finally signed the petition.
What clinched it for me was a fact that I have not seen mentioned on your blog (but was mentioned elsewhere): Beckwith's "rebuttal" published OnlineFirst on March 5, is listed as having been both received and accepted on the same day, February 7. So it would seem (unless we hear otherwise) that the rebuttal was accepted without proper refereeing, in violation of Synthese's own guidelines.
I had not noticed this peculiarity. And it is made worse by the points noted by Ingo Brigandt (Alberta) and Eric Schliesser (Ghent), namely, that Beckwith has already invoked the disclaimer in his response in order to discredit the Forrest article (even though the 'disclaimer' purportedly only concerned tone!), and that the disclaimer will in all likelihood be similarly deployed the next time Professor Forrest testifies before the Louisiana legislature about issues involving science education. This is why, as Professor Brigant says, it is imperative that the disclaimer be withdrawn. The civility and tone police can do their song-and-dance, but the fact is the editorial misconduct of Johan Van Benthem, Vincent Hendricks, and John Symons is going to have real political ramifications for science education in the United States.
[Full Disclosure: I still have not signed the petition above for reasons I've stated earlier, but I do urge those both those who have signed the petition, and those like myself who have not, to consider signing the petition urging the Synthese editorial board to allow Barbara Forrest a response to Beckwith. I think that this should be something that all interlocutors can agree is both minimally just as well ethically/politically responsible.]
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