New APPS: Art, Politics, Philosophy, Science

The pernicious effect of insincere affirmative action notices

Brian Leiter has a post up where he queried Prof. Lionel McPherson on his experiences on the job market. McPherson's view is that affirmative action/equal opportunity notices can have pernicious effects. Importantly, he does not oppose affirmative action initiatives, but rather, he questions the use of notices professing affirmative action policies without implementing such policies. I quote his letter in Leiter's blog: "I have grown skeptical in general about affirmative action/equal opportunity notices from leading philosophy departments, at least regarding minority candidates. In short, I believe that such notices stigmatize minority candidates, mislead non-minorities about the prevalence of minority hires and hiring attempts, and provide false cover against the charge of lack of faculty diversity--while rarely making an ultimate difference to actual hiring practices."

An entry on the what's it like to be a woman in philosophy blog voices a similar concern: "Many of the entries on this blog refer to affirmative action, as if there is some stigma attached to being an affirmative action hire. I think women and minorities should worry about the so-called ‘unfair’ advantage given by affirmative action exactly when the white males start worrying about the unfair advantage given by white male privilege."

So, despite the best intentions it seems that Affirmative Action notices can sometimes have an adverse effect - they give the misleading impression that minority candidates have an unfair advantage (whereas affirmative action precisely tries to mitigate the unfair advantage of non-minority candidates!). How do we amend the pernicious effects of insincere affirmative action notices, short of introducing actual quotas? 

Update on the Hungarian philosophers

Stevan Harnad has provided us with this update. (See also Agnes Heller's column in Le Monde). 

Hungary: FUD Campaign and Constitutional Revision 

The harassment campaign against left-liberal philosophers in Hungary might be losing some of its momentum, thanks in part to international protests and scrutiny and in part to the integrity and independence of the Hungarian judiciary. See the ongoing postings on the American Association for the Advancement of Science's ScienceInsider website (following below the Feb 4 article): http://news.sciencemag.org/scienceinsider/2011/02/hungarian-academicians-blast-government.html  

There is reason to believe that the open international scrutiny that the philosopher affair has drawn from the German and French press, the Open Letter from 67 external and honorary members of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences', the American Philosophical Association's Eastern Division Open Letter, the AAAS Science/Insider and Chercheurs sans Frontières -- scrutiny that the anonymous poster(s) to ScienceInsider as well as Professor Palinkas (who is President of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences and former minister in the current ruling party's prior term of office) seem to see as interference in Hungarian internal affairs, if not outright obstruction of justice -- may be having a positive influence on the course of events in Hungary.

Update on the Hungarian philosophers

1. Open-Access advocate Stevan Harnad of Southampton and of UQAM recommends that one look for the comments of Sándor Radnóti, one of the accused in the affair, in this ScienceInsider thread for informed commentary.

2. Harnad also points out that the case against the philosophers has just been transferred by Gyula Budai, the government "accounting commissioner," to the Hungarian prosecuter-general, apparently because none of the other approaches (even police inspection) has generated anything litigable. The announcement also mentions "political complications" as prompting the transfer, presumably referring to the recent growth in international scrutiny.

UPDATE: 20 February, 9:32 am CST: Another English language overview of the case available here. 

Update on the Hungarian philosophers

An article on the Hungarian Philosopher Affair appeared on February 4 in the ScienceInsider section of the AAAS (American Association for the Advancement of Science) site, where worldwide commentary  is invited.

We are reopening comments. Please consult our comments policy. 

Text of the Open Letter sent to the Hungarian Academy of Science.

See here for Daniel Dennett's retraction of his signature to this letter in light of what he calls "the level of vituperation and distrust now poisoning the academic world of Hungary," a small taste of which prompted our temporary shift to moderated comments.

Here is a YouTube video of Agnes Heller on the attacks against her: 

Dennett retracts endorsement of open letter on Hungary: Open Letter to Professor Jozsef Palinkas, President, Hungarian Academy of Sciences

We publish this letter with permission of Daniel Dennett.

February 1, 2011

Open Letter to Professor Jozsef Palinkas, President, Hungarian Academy of Sciences

Dear Professor Palinkas

I am writing to withdraw my endorsement of the Open Letter of January 28 addressed to you and bearing my signature, among many others, regarding the treatment of philosophers in Hungary. I have received a torrent of messages both condemning and supporting it, and as I have become better informed about the circumstances, I recognize that I simply do not know enough about the specific issues to have a responsible opinion about how the principles enunciated in the letter, to which I do fully subscribe, should be applied in this situation.

Many of those who also signed the letter may, because of their much more direct and voluminous knowledge of events in Hungary, be in a position to attest to the facts that inspired the writing of the letter in the first place, but I am not, and for this I apologize to all my friends and colleagues, both in Hungary and around the world, who may have taken my signature as a guarantee I was in no position to give.

I have been saddened to experience the level of vituperation and distrust now poisoning the academic world of Hungary, which I had come to admire so much. I feel that I must withdraw my signature in order not to be drawn into this polarized atmosphere. I hope this deplorable interlude will soon end, with a fair and objective finding regarding all the charges and countercharges, allowing vigor and clarity to be restored.

Sincerely,

Daniel C. Dennett
University Professor and Fletcher Professor of Philosophy, Tufts University
Honorary Member of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences

APA Open Letter on the situation of philosophers in Hungary

Letter of Protest Concerning the Treatment of Hungarian Philosophers*

In the last six months a number of questionable actions have been taken against philosophers and other academics in Hungary. These actions include dismissals of philosophers from the Philosophy Institute of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences and the rating of 15 of 23 colleagues affiliated with the Academy as “professionally unqualified.” This same designation has been extended to others who have earned the level of Habilitation. During the same period, charges have been brought against a number of philosophers -- including Agnes Heller, distinguished professor emerita from the New School for Social Research – regarding the alleged misuse of grant money: charges we find to be highly unlikely and regarding which much more detailed documentation is required. Another philosopher, Mihály Vajda, has been charged with the misallocation of grant money to his daughter – whereas in fact she employed this properly obtained money to pursue a significant study of public opinion concerning the Holocaust. We consider these various moves to be questionable in view of the likelihood of political motivation on the part of the ruling Fidesz party. They are in flagrant violation of the principle of academic freedom. Still more seriously, they reflect an unjustified persecution of philosophers and other scholars and teachers. We protest these actions and call upon the Republic of Hungary to live up to the standards of justice and equity to which its own constitution is committed.

Those who sign below include all current members of the Executive Committee of the American Philosophical Association, Eastern Division. Dated: February 1, 2011

• Susan Wolf, University of North Carolina, President, American Philosophical Association, Eastern Division
• Paul Guyer, University of Pittsburgh, President-Elect, American Philosophical Association, Eastern Division
• Edward Casey, State University of New York at Stony Brook, Immediate Past President, American Philosophical Association, Eastern Division
• Richard Bett, Johns Hopkins University, Secretary-Treasurer, American Philosophical Association, Eastern Division
• Katherine Elgin, Harvard University, Divisional Representative
• Robert Bernasconi, Pennsylvania State University
• Michael Della Rocca, Yale University
• Howard McGary, Rutgers University
• Ted Sider, New York University
• Tommie Shelby, Harvard University
• Walter Sinnott-Armstrong, Duke University

*copies have been sent to the Prime Minister of Hungary, Viktor Orbán; the President of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Jozsef Pálinkás; György Szapáry, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary (Hungarian Embassy in Washington); and Révész Sándor at Nepszabadsag, the only remaining independent newspaper in Hungary.

Background info on the situation in Hungary--a first stab

At this blog we have been following the situation in Hungary closely (this post,  this post, and this one). During the last week I have been in touch with various Hungarian philosophers, and I have compiled the following report. I welcome factual corrections and information that may provide more insightful context.

1. There is no doubt that the present Hungarian government (which has a huge parliamentary majority) has illiberal tendencies; for example, its recent media-law is a matter of great concern to its EU partners. My informants include academics that are broadly sympathetic to this new government and folk that are more skeptical about is goals. It is my sense that all have been shocked by how the pro-government side of the press has blown up a pre-existing funding issue (although some have noted that the level of rhetoric is not uncommon in Hungary). Moreover, nobody doubts that politics play some role in the recent government investigation, but all stress that the procedure are part of the normal legal process (more about this below where I comment on this).

2. There was a pre-existing issue. Let me offer a rough outline. The previous government (2002-2010) created an office for  technological development. In 2004-2005 this office funded projects by academics (not only philosophers) who were broadly sympathetic to this government. At the time questions were raised about  it in the mainstream press and the State Audit Office. The main concern was that the funding process was not transparent and that there may have been favoritism. More recently, the Hungarian Academy noted that there may be administrative/legal problems with one of these projects.

3. Last year the new government set up an office for investigating how public money was spent during the previous government (not uncommon in Hungary), and this office initiated a legal procedure against three of these projects; this set off the aggressive press campaign. All my informants express the hope that a normal, objective legal procedure is still possible in Hungary. Based on assessments like these [thank you Brian Leiter for the pointer], I am less sanguine about this if the public-media atmosphere remains so hot-headed and if judges come to think that certain outcomes will be viewed favorably by the government (which can dispense all kinds of rewards).

4. It also clear to me that in the context of meagre state funding for philosophy -- which (due to recent reforms initiated under the previous government) has plummeting enrollments and very low salaries for junior professors --, Hungarian philosophy is riddled with internal conflicts and lack of collegiality. (There are also generational issues and questions over what counts as an international research profile.) This has prevented a unified reponse to these developments.

UPDATE: There is a petition for the philosophers under investigation here.

Open letter on the situation of philosophers in Hungary

See this post for context. Here is a letter on the subject (in German) from Jürgen Habermas and Julian Nida-Rümelin. We will provide a translation if we can obtain permission.

--------

January 20, 2011

An Open Letter Regarding the Situation of Philosophy and Philosophers in Hungary *

By Professor Laszlo Tengelyi
Philosophical Seminar
University of Wuppertal

Dear Colleagues,

I would like to make you aware that in Hungary, very recently, a campaign has been initiated against philosophers such as Agnes Heller (Prof. em. at the New School for Social Research), Mihály Vajda, Sándor Randnóti and others.

As you probably know, the Hungarian parliament recently passed a law concerning the media, which is not compatible with European norms.This media law, however, is only the tip of the iceberg. One could cite a whole series of further measures from the last half-year, which add up to a dismantling of democratic institutions in Hungary. The Young Democrats (Fidesz), a party elected to parliament with a two-thirds majority, have already altered the constitution more than ten times. The constitutional court has been stripped of essential rights. The so-called “Budget Council”—a body which is independent of the ruling party, and which is composed of economic experts and tasked with overseeing the economic policy of the current administration—after the first critical positions it adopted, was dissolved and replaced with members of the Fidesz party. The post of the chief justice in Hungary was similarly filled by a well-known Fidesz party member.

The principle of the separation of powers in Hungary today is plainly at risk.

A politically motivated attack on philosophers in Hungary?

Very disturbing reports are coming from Hungary. This post provides an overview, with links to other posts. It seems the new right-of-center government is using its friendly newspaper to incite popular opinion against a number of prominent Hungarian philosophers, including Agnes Heller, who spent many years at the New School in New York. The linked post puts it like this: 

Magyar Nemzet (“Hungarian Nation”) claimed that those philosophers had missused funds on a large scale. All of them are considered “liberal”, i.e. skeptical about the present homeland politics of their country. It seems that after considerable philosophical infighting some insider has triggered a police investigation into the finances of six projects carefully selected to incite a maximum of populist indignation. Magyar Nemzet runs an almost daily campaign on behalf of the Orban government, insinuating that an elitist intellectual clique has taken control of Hungarian academic life. (Alas, still an effective type of accusation.)...

Laszlo Tengelyi, a native Hungarian, teaching philosophy in Germany, has addressed an open letter to the most important German philosophical associations in order to draw attention to what he calls revenge* against political opponents. It is a disturbing story.

Tengelyi's original letter is here. We will publish an English translation as soon as possible.

* UPDATE: "campaign" is a better term here for Tengelyi's word Hetzjadt.

UPDATE 2: a petition has been generated; it has a brief English summary of the issue.