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Is Plato already too woke?
The American Texas A&M University has had a professor of philosophy delete work by Plato because it would conflict with the university’s new guideline not to pay attention to ‘gender ideology’ in the core curriculum.
Professor of Philosophy Martin Peterson received a missive from his department head on Tuesday that he had to bring his upcoming lecture ‘Contemporary Moral Problems’ in line with the university’s new ‘Guideline 8.01’. This stipulates that ‘advocates for racial or gender ideology’ are not permitted in the core curriculum, nor are ‘topics that touch on sexual orientation or gender identity’. Attention may only be paid to this in exceptional lectures, with written permission from managers and only if the ‘educational necessity’ has been demonstrated.
Peterson was given the choice: adjust the parts of his lecture and remove the parts about gender, including the one about Plato, or give a different lecture. He was given 24 hours to respond. Peterson responded indignantly that he does not make “pleas” in his lecture, but “teaches students how to construct and evaluate arguments that are common in current moral discussions.” He called the screening of his syllabus for the college, which he had to submit, “compulsory inspection for the purpose of censorship.”
Peterson caved in under pressure from the university. In an interview with The New York Times he says he will reluctantly change the council. He wants to replace the disputed passages with parts about academic freedom and freedom of expression. Peterson would from Plato’s Symposium including using the myth of Aristophanes about three original double beings, entirely male, entirely female and intersex. Plato’s dialogue is a philosophical, festive and sometimes satirical treatise on erosalso between men.
Writers association PEN America has protested the censoring of Plato. The organization calls it another step in “eroding the climate for free speech in Texas.” The Republican state has taken numerous measures to prevent “gender ideology” in government and healthcare. Founded in 1876 and located in the city of College Station, Texas A&M is a public institution with approximately 80,000 students. A minor in LGBTI studies at the university was already canceled at the end of 2024.
The Texas university disputes that Plato’s thinking is now taboo in the curriculum. In a statement, the institution said that many lectures will contain references to Plato but “without modules on race and gender ideology.” Texas A&M is among the universities following the Trump administration in abolishing diversity policies and banning education about race and gender. A Republican member of the Texas House of Representatives, Brian Harrison, called protests against the procedure “further evidence that patients have controlled the facility for far too long.”
Professor of Philosophy Martin Peterson, trained in Sweden, previously worked in Cambridge and at TU Eindhoven. He specializes in normative ethics and the ethics of technology.
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