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Books > Social sciences > Sociology, social studies > Social issues > Ethical issues & debates > Censorship
Traditionally, our society has broadly agreed that the "good
university" should teach the intellectual skills students need to
become citizens who are intelligently critical of their own beliefs
and of the narratives presented politicians, society, the media,
and, indeed, universities themselves. The freedom to debate is
essential to the development of critical thought, but on university
campuses today free speech is increasingly restricted for fear of
causing "offense." In this daring and intrepid book, which was
originally withdrawn from publication by another publisher but is
now proudly presented by Academica Press, the famous intelligence
researcher James R. Flynn presents the underlying factors that have
circumscribed the range of ideas now tolerated in our institutions
of learning. Flynn studiously examines how universities effectively
censor teaching, how social and political activism effectively
censors its opponents, and how academics censor themselves and each
other. A Book Too Risky To Publish concludes that few universities
are now living up to their original mission to promote free inquiry
and unfettered critical thought. In an age marred by fake news and
ever increasing social and political polarization, this book makes
an impassioned argument for a return to critical thought in our
institutions of higher education.
In 2002, controversy regarding J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series
arose in Cedarville, Arkansas, when a parent expressed concerns
about the messages that books about witchcraft were sending to
young students at an elementary school. In response, the school
board banned the series from public school libraries-but a school
librarian, assisted by a fourth-grade girl, fought back with a
federal lawsuit and won. Written by the lawyer who prosecuted the
case, this book details the Harry Potter ban and the lawsuit that
returned the books to Cedarville schools. It goes behind the scenes
to show readers how lawsuits are really conducted and looks
specifically at cases used as precedent in Counts v. Cedarville.
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