A few days ago I linked to a short essay, which had generated discussion on some other websites and facebook. Despite the angry tone of the essay, I found it interesting for the astute sketch it draws of the way academics become docile creatures of larger organizations. I also thought that the author made a prima facie case for the existence of the kind of subtle sexism that should be all to familiar to us in the discipline, but rarely appears to be discussed in concrete detail by witnesses who are willing to be identified. I do not regret linking to it.
But I made a serious mistake in adding the following headline to it "Sexism and herd mentality in philosophy." Reasonable readers could and did infer that I endorsed the claims made in the essay. I quickly added disclaimers to the post. Even so I had been very unfair to our colleagues at Mizzou, who are legally *unable to defend themselves* because the essay describes a tenure case. I apologize to them for my lack of judgment in this matter.
Moreover, I should have expected that folk would focus on the merits of the tenure case rather than the sociological and institutional sexism aspects of the essay. So, the subsequent discussion provides little vindication for the wording of my headline. (Even mistakes can sometimes lead to fruitful effects. But not in this case.) I have kept the post intact (so that folk don't think I hide my mistakes here), but added a link to this apology.
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