Back Statement sent by the BIAP Workshop on Gender organizers to all the BIAP members last Thursday 19th:

Statement sent by the BIAP Workshop on Gender organizers to all the BIAP members last Thursday 19th:

21.12.2019

 

During the BIAP workshop on Gender (17/18 December 2019), at the time of Prof. Pablo de Lora's scheduled presentation, some students who had requested that his talk be cancelled (i.e., censored) entered the room, distributed pamphlets, and initiated protesting speeches. After several attempts on part of the organizers to convince them that they should allow the event to take place, they exhibited no intention to leave, and Prof. de Lora felt that he could not give his presentation in the tense and hostile environment that had been created.
 
Social philosophy concerns aspects of reality that, because of their indisputable significance, have the potential of producing further harm to oppressed groups in our societies. Although belonging to such groups arguably may put one in a specific epistemic situation vis-à-vis relevant such facts, this need not require that research on them (nor activism) exclude other people. In fact, the academy, and society at large, may well benefit from having these sensitive and significant topics become part of mainstream discussions, including discussion of some controversial viewpoints, provided that all such discussion is appropriately respectful of the aforementioned situation. It was in this spirit and with the conviction of the value of academic freedom that we organized the BIAP Workshop on Gender.
 
One may legitimately think that some invitations may have been problematic, and/or that some ways of formulating some views are insufficiently sensitive to the importance of not contributing to harming members of vulnerable groups. There are legitimate ways of protesting against these facts. Censoring the event through occupation and disruption is definitely not among them, nor is it publicly expressing support, if one is an invited participant in the workshop, of such censorship.
 
We hereby condemn and deplore such behaviors, which conflict with basic rights as well as with academic freedom, and do not contribute to generating more inclusive spaces.
 
The Workshop Organizers

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