Censors Quote by David Horowitz
““When I was an undergraduate, the censors attacked the university from without. Now, they are entrenched in the faculties and administrations themselves. Then, the university defined itself as an institution "dedicated to the disinterested pursuit of knowledge." Now, every term of that definition is under siege by postmodernists and deconstructionists who have become the new academic establishment and have redefined the university as "an institution dedicated to social change." That is one reason why the academy, once perceived as a redoubt of intellectual freedom and cutting-edge discourse, has become the butt of snickering jokes about political correctness and the font of Kafkaesque tales about bureaucratic censorship and administrative obtuseness.””
About This Quote
Source Speech: Interview on Academic Freedom, 2010
The quote critiques how universities shifted from defending pure inquiry to embracing activist agendas, leading to perceived censorship and bureaucratic absurdity.
In simple terms: Universities moved from neutral scholarship to political activism, causing censorship concerns.
Key Takeaway
Recognize and protect genuine academic freedom.
Themes
academic freedom
political activism
censorship
bureaucracy
culture wars
Mood
critical
concerned
reflective
Type
analytical
commentary
When to use this quote
- faculty meetings
- policy debates
- student activism
- media commentary
Key Concepts
postmodernism
deconstruction
institutional change
intellectual autonomy
Questions to Reflect On
- How does political activism affect scholarly rigor?
- Can universities balance freedom with social responsibility?
A Different Perspective
Some argue that activism can enrich scholarship, not just restrict it.
![“[Censors are] people with secret attractions to various temptations... They are defending themselves under the pretext of defending others, because at heart they fear their own weaknesses.” quote by Ernest Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/1d4/ernest-jones-36409_attraction_censors-are-people-with-secret-attractio_103107.jpg)
