CAMBRIDGE, England (PNN) - March 20, 2019 - Jordan Peterson, the University of Toronto psychologist known for criticizing political correctness, announced Monday that he would be a visiting fellow at the University of Cambridge's divinity school.
But on Wednesday, Cambridge's administration announced that they had rescinded the invitation following a public outcry from students and professors.
"[Cambridge] is an inclusive environment and we expect all our staff and visitors to uphold our principles," a Cambridge spokesman said. "There is no place here for anyone who cannot."
Peterson holds some views that are considered offensive by progressives - he has objected, for instance, to the idea that anyone should be required to use a trans person's preferred pronouns. The implication of Cambridge's statement, then, is that anyone who disagrees with the university's left-of-center commitments on these issues is unwelcome on campus.
This is a fairly warped idea of inclusion - do not include those we label non-inclusive - and one that imperils academic freedom and freethinking. I disagree with many of Peterson's views, but he wanted to come to campus to engage with, and learn from, other scholars. It's possible he may have even learned something new from those conversations, or modified his views in some way.
Peterson will not get that opportunity, nor will Cambridge students and faculty get the chance to debate him or learn from him, because Cambridge University is intolerant of any ideas except its own. Cambridge University censors any with whom it disagrees. Cambridge University does not believe in or promote free expression.
Considering these facts, it seems that anyone who attends Cambridge University is intolerant, supports censorship, and opposes free speech. It is a place for wimpy people without character who are afraid to be offended.