[lbo-talk] Disappoint With #125

[Carrol Cox]

I think this post covers all the conflicting points I tried to make in
mine, and particularly the claim that all issues are ultimately
political issues. MIT fired a good teacher and promising scholar. Bad
politics -- he should have been kept. And ( started with "But" and
changed to "And") -- And this fine teacher and scholar has now produced
some really shitty results which an editor or peer reviewer would be
quite justified in refusing to print (that is censor). However, he
apparently has gottenhis story out to a wider public, hence John's
coming across this article and sending the URL for it to this list,
where we can debate some of the politics involved.

To toss in a new ingredient. I have been arguing for years (going back
to before the internet was invented) that there is too much stuff to
read and that somehow it has to be cut down. I think Milton saw this
situation coming and incorporated that sense of impending
over-production of knowledge in the Temptation of Athens in Book IV of
Paradise Regained. But that's another topic I just toss in for the fun
of it.

Censorship is bad. Censorship is absolutely essential. And there is no
easy or even sensible resolution to this other than fighting it ut as
all political issues have to be fought out case by case.

Carrol

Les Schaffer wrote:
> 
> On 3/12/2010 9:51 AM, John Gulick wrote:
> > Along these lines, what do you gents think about this piece? (I think it is a pretty illuminating
> > critique overall, although of course to some extent Noble is leveraging it toward his quixotic campaign
> > against the AGW consensus of climate scientists.)
> >
> > "Peer Review as Censorship" http://www.counterpunch.org/mazur02262010.html
> >
> 
> i had Noble for several courses at MIT in the late 70's, and he rocked.
> if he was under any pressure from MIT at the time he taught, i sure
> didnt notice in the classroom. and yet, that MIT found some reason not
> to give him tenure is not the least bit surprising, and is totally
> consistent with where they have
> headed as an institution.
> 
> he's lucky though he doesn't have me in any of his classes now. his AGW
> stuff deserves great helpings of wrath.
> 
> FWIW, he was an EXCELLENT teacher.
> 
> Les
> 
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