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Explore the multifaceted issues surrounding anti-Enlightenment traditions and their impact on academic freedom and societal norms, highlighting key figures and ideologies shaping the discourse.
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Tamas Dezso Ziegler The anti-Enlightenment tradition and the limitation of academic freedomA search of domestic and EU-level answers
Structureofmylecture • The anti-Enlightenmenttradition 2) Academic freedom 3) Answers
Delusionalscience • Meaninglesswordsfor same orverysimilarphenomena • Populism, illiberal democracy, hybrid regime, radicalright, etc. • Mainstream sciencedoes not give an answertothe real problems • Problemswith populism „studies” • Orban was never anti-elite, he is anti-liberal and opposespluralism • Orban is forexclusion, notinclusion of under-representedvoices: originally, populismis/was not necesserily a badphenomenon (see Pierre Rosanvallon, Anton Jäger, Margaret Canovan) (liberal elitismhasproblemswithdemocracy?) • Orban has an extendedideology (not a thin-centeredone) • US vsthemis a typicalfascisttechnique(see Jason Stanley: Howfascismworks&thecaseofthe Nazi Carl Schmitt calledpopulistrecently) • Whatconnectionwithauthoritarianismandxenophobia-racism? • Does not answerwhythesocialpsichologyanddynamicsoffascismandauthoritarianismis so similar • Isunabletousehistoricalperspective
Complexproblems • Complexproblems (see e.g. Phillippe Schmitter: Real-existingdemocracyand ist discontents) SOURCES • The theoryofthe ghetto-state (ghettoisationofstates)
Complexideologicaltraitions Cultural changewithtraditonalbackground Culture is described in terms of assumptions, attitudes, beliefs, concepts, conceptual models, feelings, ideas, images, knowledge, meanings, mind-sets, norms, orientations, sentiments, symbols, values, world views, or some combination of these concepts, it refers to the recurring pattems of mental activity, or the habits of thought, perception, and feeling, that are common to members of a particular group. (Duffield 1999) Gabriel Almond and Sidney Verba Political culture: • Parochial – Citizensdistancethemselvesfromthegovenrment • Subject – Authoritarian structure, citizens are followers (post-feudalism) • Participant – Citizens influence government actions
Complexideologicaltraditions Cultural changewithtraditonalbackground Dennis Kavanagh Eckstein's Theory of Stable Democracy singles out the importance of authority relations, particularly the degree of harmony between a nation's governmental and social structures, in maintaining stable democracy. According to Eckstein it is the social structures, such as the family and the school, and the political structures, such as parties and pressure-groups which are 'adjacent' to the government, which prepare individuals forgovern mental roles. Congruence between governmental andother structures reduces strains and brings about appropriate expectationsforfutureroles.
Complexideologicaltraditions Cultural changewithtraditonalbackground • PippaNorris/Ronald Inglehart: Cultural Backlash: Trump, Brexit, and Authoritarian Populism Oxford University Press (2019) • ZeevSternhell: Anti-EnlightenmentTradition (Yale Univ. P.) • Isaiah Berlin: Counter-Enlightenment • Steven Pinkerfrom Harvard: EnlightenmentNow (bestseller) • Dora Kostakopoulou: Markov Chain
A „differenttradition” Post-fascism is builtonthese „values” Sternhell: „Fascism is part of ourculture”
Tribalgathering KurultájTribalGathering, 2018
Epicenters of EU disintegration • Human rights(Daniel Kelemen: newdemocratic deficit) (nation, strongleaders and emotionalisminstead of human rights and tolerance) • Refugeelaw(attackingindividualism, human dignity, universalism) • Single market(protectionism + stateaid) (nationalism + oligarchs – newnoblemen) • Brexit(emotionalism, xenophobia, post-collonialdelusion – Paul Beaumont) NATIONAL POLITICAL CULTURE AFFECTS EUROPEAN POLICY MAKING!
Equilibirum of integration/disintegration EU lawalwayscontainedelements of bothtradition! • Notonly a tradition of Enlightenment • Democratic deficit (Føllesdal-Hix) • Elitism: no annulement of actsforeverydaypeople: no constitutionalcontrol + no conversationwitheverydayEuropeans • Oligarchisation (also amongcompanies): newnoblemen • Discriminitationbasedonhabitualresidence in consumer law • Visa policy: no individualtreatment (whentheapproach is used in refugeelaw, manyareembarassed) • Fundamentalrightscannot be applied (see Art. 51 of the Charter of fundamentalrights) • Strong neo-collonialattitudes in foreignpolicy • EU-Turkey deal breaches EU lawand international law • Other authoritariantendencies (Christian Kreuder-Sonnen)
Academic freedomandthe anti-Enlightenment • Does not acceptpluralismandhates diverse opinions (authoritarian: conformistand repressive) • Does not accept human rights (human rightsarefor naives) • Does not acceptegalitarianism („therearealwaysdifferencesamongpeople”), deniesuniversalism: teachingrefugeelaw • Tribalistagenda &us v. them (universityprofessorsas Soros-agents) • High emotionsinsteadofrationall arguments • In international relations: social darwinistagenda • Sexistpolicies
Issues (Hungary and Poland) 1) Distorting Pluralism Denying Equality of Universities National University of Public Service (H), Professional academies (Pl) 2) Intrusion into Universities` Decision Making The Change of Governance Chancelors, consistoriums, stateappointments (H) more powertorectors (Pl) 3) Attacking Freedom of Thought Banning Academic Programs AttackingInternationalstudies, banningsocialantrophology, mediastudies + genderstudies (H) 4) Limitation of Free Speech + Direct Attacks Against Professors Law on holocaust research (Pl) + listing university professors (H) Genderdiscrimination (Pl)
DictatorsasHonoraryDoctors Abdel Fattah el-Sisi (National University of Public Service) University of Debrecen: Vladimir Putin - Rectorattacksprofessorswhoprotest
Possibleanswers 1) Legal answers 2) Political answers 3) Cultural answers
Legal answers • Eliminateanti-Enlightenmentelements in EU law • Art. 2 TEU andCommissionactions (Kim Lane Scheppele, Dimitry Kochenov, partly Armin von Bogdandy) • “The Union is founded on the values of respect for human dignity, freedom, democracy, equality, the rule of law and respect for human rights, including the rights of persons belonging to minorities. These values are common to the Member States in a society in which pluralism, non-discrimination, tolerance, justice, solidarity and equality between women and men prevail.” 2) Usingthe Charter of Fundamental Rights (Art. 14-15) (Andras Jakab) • “The arts and scientific research shall be free of constraint. Academic freedom shall be respected. • The freedom to found educational establishments with due respect for democratic principles and the right of parents to ensure the education and teaching of their children in conformity with their religious, philosophical and pedagogical convictions shall be respected.” 3) Creating a European Magna Charta of Academia • Containing a detailed list of rights, procedures and guarantees 4) Stop using the market as an excuse for silence
Political answers • Conservativesshould not betrayEnlightenedvalues (see EPP) –authoritarianattitudesonthepoliticalright • Sanctionstheory and theapplicationofpoliticalpressure (esp. Art. 7. TEU) Harold Hongju Koh Why do I now wear a seatbelt, when I never did before? • “Because after the seatbelt rule issued, a lot of tickets were given out! (PUNISHMENT) • “It is more rational to wear your seatbelt to avoid injury, sanction, or to gain insurance benefits.” (INTEREST) • “The seatbelt rule acquired" rule-legitimacy" and over time developed a compliance pull: "If I am a law abiding person, I ought to obey the seatbelt laws.” (COMPLIANCE PULL OF RULES and IDENTITY CHANGES) • “The rationale was communitarian. Authorities exhorted people with slogans such as "Seatbelts Save Lives” (COMMUNITY TIES) • “The seatbelt rule was inculcated via legal process. Now you cannot get into a car and drive without buckling your seatbelt without every bell and whistle.” (HORIZONTAL-LEGAL LEGAL PROCESS EXPLANATIONS)
Objectivesofsanctions Richard Nossal: „what prompts one state to invoke "sanctions" … is the perception that the target state has violatednorms of moral behavior valued by the sender and thus deserves not onlyconcrete penalties but also a public proclamation of the target's impiety. Such usage more clearly reflects the etymology of the word as well as itsconcern with the moral gravity of the violation and (to the extent that thereis a "public realm" in international politics) the essentially "public" nature of the "objectionable" act.There is, of course, little agreement on what constitutes a "morally objectionable" act in interstate relations.”
Objectivesofsanctions James Barber • Primary (related to actions and behavior against whom the sanctions are directed) • Secondary (related to the status of the governments imposing the sanctions) • Tertiary objections (broader international considerations) James M. Lindsay • Compliance • Subversion • Deterrence • International symbolism: „sendingmassagetoothermembersofthecommunity“ • Domesticsymbolism („increasedomesticsupportorthwart internal criticism“)
Objectivesofsanctions Eric Posner “The current resurgence of authoritarianism in Hungary provides an important test case of the ability of the European liberal democracies to compel foreign countries to abide by human rights norms. If Europeans cannot even compel a small, financially dependent country in their midst to comply with human rights, then one must infer that they do not care enough about human rights to devote substantial resources to them. The point is not that Western states discount human rights; it is that they balance their interest in promoting human rights with their interest in political stability and economic growth, and casual as well as rigorous empiricism suggests that the interest in promoting human rights receives minimal weight in the balance." James Barber cites Hibbert„Indeed, economicsanctionshavegeneralllyhadtheoppositeeffectofcreating a sense ofcommunityandsolidarity in thetargetstate.“ About Mussolini he writes that “Old ladies sent him their jewellery to help him pay for his war, and young men said they would gladly die in it by suicidal air-raids on the British Fleet. Many former liberals supported the war, and the Church did not oppose it. Several former anti-facists living in voluntary exite returned to support their country in her hour of need.”
Culturalanswers The mostimportantanswers!Walter Laqueur: PutinismwouldexistwithoutPutin - OrbanismwithoutOrban? (How „German” is AFD?)- Enlightenment and anti-Enlightenmentvaluesare in a struggle in oursocieties:needtohelpEnlightenedvalues: Fukuyama and theproblemof Leitkultur
Whatwebuildoursocieties on • Values like tolerance, pluralism, separationofstate and religion, universalism must beexplained, taughtadvertisedand defended in thesociety • Democratic partiesshouldresistaccepting anti-Enlightenmentclichés • The EU couldhave potential tohelpmemberstates and communicatedirectly (when was the last time a PresidentoftheCommissiongave a speech in a memberstate?) • The EU’s legal systemshouldbeanalysedfromthisperspectiveaswell: elitismcannotstopthe anti-Enlightenment, it just fuelsit • Itis a hugemistaketo handle non-democraticpartiesandforcesasiftheyweredemocracic (seethecaseof NPD andthe German Constitutional Court, orFidesz in the EPP)