Michael Marshall

@mrmmarsh.bsky.social

Project Director of Good Thinking Society Editor of The Skeptic @skeptic.org.uk Podcasts: The Know Rogan Experience @knowrogan.bsky.social, Skeptics with a K. President @merseyskeptics.bsky.social Quasi journalist, sometime lecturer. He/Him.

@mrmmarsh.bsky.social

The thing that’s particularly galling is that men who write for the climate change denying, anti-vaccine Daily Sceptic - run by the eugenics-curious - have set themselves up as arbiters of what constitutes academic freedom, and what constitutes legitimate academic merit. And the media lap it up.

@mrmmarsh.bsky.social

Ah, the Pinker who appeared on Aporia’s podcast, and attended the ‘Heterodox Thinkers’ conference with Cofnas… and Carl Benjamin, and Claire Lehmann of Quillette, where they were given a keynote by Chris Rufo (formerly of the Discovery Institute!). Who’s to say what made him seem a good fit here…

@rebeccasear.bsky.socialReposted by @mrmmarsh.bsky.social

Notably, the CAF does not consider protecting academic freedom as part of its mission, only free speech (which are not the same thing). Given protecting academic merit is not part of their mission, why are they so concerned about Professor Arday’s qualifications for his role?

Extract from the CAF’s Our Mission page: Our guiding principles The Committee for Academic Freedom comprises academics from all disciplines and of all points of view. We disagree on many issues, political and cultural. But we affirm without reservation the following three principles, which we hold to be central to the liberal university: 1. Freedom of speech: Staff and students should be free, within the limits of the law, to express any opinion without fear of reprisal. 2. Freedom of conscience: No member of a university should be compelled to express or affirm beliefs against their conscience. 3. Institutional neutrality*: Universities should not promote political agendas or affiliate themselves with organisations pursuing them. *Clarification
@rebeccasear.bsky.socialReposted by @mrmmarsh.bsky.social

The Committee for Academic Freedom has launched an investigation into Professor Arday’s hiring, and appointed Steven Pinker - listed as a referee on the CV of Arday’s accuser - to the panel. Because Cambridge should not have the freedom to decide its own appointments?

Image of the Committee for Academic Freedom posting about the inquiry, including an image of a story from the Times newspaper
@mrmmarsh.bsky.social

Attenborough is also a writer at The Critic (associate editor: Toby Young). And the Spectator (associate editor: Toby Young). And the Daily Sceptic (editor in chief: Toby Young; co-owner: Noah Carl). It’s the same handful of men, putting on different hats, and pretending to be unbiased consensus.

@knowrogan.bsky.socialReposted by @mrmmarsh.bsky.social

The Know Rogan Experience #085 - Milo Yiannopoulos: Culture War Trolling

Michael Marshall and Cecil Cicirello break down Joe's July 2016 interview with Milo Yiannopoulos.

AUDIO - www.knowrogan.com/milo-yiannop...
VIDEO - www.youtube.com/watch?v=x67D...

knowrogan.comMilo Yiannopoulos: Culture War TrollingMichael Marshall and Cecil Cicirello break down Joe's July 2016 interview with Milo Yiannopoulos. Topics include: Stolen valour, Brexit, Islam, feminism, refugees …
@mrmmarsh.bsky.social

Look at the state of this event, from this time last year. "Me must defend the reputation of science!" says the best friend of the world's most notorious paedophile, while sat next to a climate-change-denying eugenics-curious antivaxxer. But yeah, wokeness is the problem.

A promotional shot from a panel discussion "The War on Science", with Lawrence Krauss sat in the centre in a hat so obnoxious if you saw it your skin wouldn't stop crawling. Next to him on his right is Richard Dawkins; to his left is (Lord) Toby Fucking Young. They are flanked by other co-authors of Krauss' book, including Alan Sokal. They sit in front of banners for The Free Speech Union, the organisation co-run by Toby Young (antivaxxer) and Noah Carl (editor of a eugenics magazine).
@mrmmarsh.bsky.social

My latest for The Skeptic, on the baseless theory that life is just a Matrix-like computer simulation has caught on in Silicon Valley, and how is taking on increasingly religious tones.

@mrmmarsh.bsky.social

The Skeptic Podcast – Episode 085: Featuring articles from Elissar Gerges (August 2022), Shaun Sellars (October 2021), Ian Harrison (May 2024), and Brian Davis (July 2023).

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