I was a little concerned that the argument for boycotting Israel is
being promoted by a lecturer in Philosophy:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2039529/Lecturers-to-debate-%27boycott%27-of-Israeli-universities.html

Surely such a person ought to know that academic boycotts are an abuse
of academic freedom and, more importantly don't work.

In any event, why stop at Israel?

Shouldn't:

China to be boycotted because of their execution of prisoners on such
a massive scale
The US for similar reasons + its general inclination towards invasion,
occupation and its contempt for justice
Saudi Arabia for public executions and the general abuse of women and
contempt for justice
South Africa for its support of neo-apartheid racist policies - Black
Executive Enrichment and so forth
Austria for its paedophile breeding programme
France for being French

and so forth.

If we worked hard enough at it each university could boycott all
others and conduct research into wheel re-invention in the happy
knowledge that they'd face no contradiction.

What was wrong with the Stone Age and the Dark Ages after all?

"Peter Brooks"  a écrit dans le message de news: 
45454b41-79ce-4734-997d-fd0d27ef4ad9@8g2000hse.googlegroups.com...
|I was a little concerned that the argument for boycotting Israel is
| being promoted by a lecturer in Philosophy:
|
| 
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2039529/Lecturers-to-debate-%27boycott%27-of-Israeli-universities.html
|
| Surely such a person ought to know that academic boycotts are an abuse
| of academic freedom and, more importantly don't work.
|
| In any event, why stop at Israel?
|
| Shouldn't:
|
| China to be boycotted because of their execution of prisoners on such
| a massive scale
| The US for similar reasons + its general inclination towards invasion,
| occupation and its contempt for justice
| Saudi Arabia for public executions and the general abuse of women and
| contempt for justice
| South Africa for its support of neo-apartheid racist policies - Black
| Executive Enrichment and so forth
| Austria for its paedophile breeding programme
| France for being French
|
| and so forth.
|
| If we worked hard enough at it each university could boycott all
| others and conduct research into wheel re-invention in the happy
| knowledge that they'd face no contradiction.
|
| What was wrong with the Stone Age and the Dark Ages after all?

very good ...

... and I definitely would support a boycott of France; that means I would no 
longer have to put up with beer-swilling Brits and loud Yanks over here ;-) ...

pga

On May 28, 12:50 pm, Peter Brooks  wrote:
> I was a little concerned that the argument for boycotting Israel is
> being promoted by a lecturer in Philosophy:
>
> http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2039529/Lecturers-to-debate-%27boycot...

Hopefully only a little :-) Who knows what idiocies the professors of
philosophy will come up with next. I guess if you're Tom Hickey of the
University of Brighton it's the only way to make a name for yourself.
A bit like Mrs Blair telling us about her Balmoral sex life. All show
and no content, but it gets you noticed.

> Surely such a person ought to know that academic boycotts are an abuse
> of academic freedom and, more importantly don't work.

I recommend you to read "New British Philosophy. The Interviews."
edited by Julian Baggini to see the depths of torpor New British
Philosophy is in. (As Baggini has written some quite good books, I can
only think he's having a laugh by putting this one out!)

> What was wrong with the Stone Age and the Dark Ages after all?

The "Dark Ages" are starting to look quite good these days. They had
John the Scot. Who do we have?