Kerby Anderson

The cancel culture is alive and well on university campuses, but the latest example has generated a few articles and commentaries because it seems too extreme. Professor Dorian Abbot is a professor in the department of geophysical sciences at the University of Chicago. He holds an undergraduate degree in physics from Harvard, and a PhD in applied mathematics from Harvard. He was scheduled to deliver the prestigious John Carlson Lecture on climate and the potential of life on other planets at MIT. He is a recognized expert in this area. But his lecture was cancelled, not because of his views on science but because of an opinion piece he co-authored in Newsweek. The authors argued that the current systems of DEI – diversity, equity, and inclusion were having a negative impact on the mission of America’s universities. What is that mission? They argue that it is “the production and dissemination of knowledge.” Instead, the authors proposed what they called MFE – merit, fairness, and equality. They argued that university applicants should be judged based on individual merit and qualifications. They also rejected the past use of legacy and athletic admission which “significantly favor white applicants.” If your goal was to eliminate racial bias either for or against one racial group, this is an article that makes that case. But that didn’t stop groups of students and Twitter trolls from coming down on the administration at MIT. Professor Abbot was disinvited. Fortunately, Professor Robert George at Princeton heard about the incident and stepped forward to sponsor the lecture. And the New York Times gave the action some coverage so that thousands of students signed up for the Princeton lecture. I say three cheers for Professor George and Princeton. Shame on MIT for providing one more example of a cancel culture that is out of control.