Abstract
Dominated by consensus and conformity, the intellectual environment of today’s university precludes all but the most determined attempts at truly groundbreaking free thought. Academic freedom thus comes to seem a largely abstract proposition disconnected from the pursuit of knowledge. This culture has emerged with the collapse of criticism, or the public act of passing judgement, which required both a concept of knowledge as contestable truth claims and an audience of people with the necessary expertise to validate the worth of a critique. Within the academy, such a public was formed of like-minded scholars who shared a common body of knowledge and similar theoretical and methodological assumptions.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Copyright information
© 2016 Joanna Williams
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Williams, J. (2016). Criticality within the Disciplines. In: Academic Freedom in an Age of Conformity. Palgrave Critical University Studies. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137514790_4
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137514790_4
Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, London
Print ISBN: 978-1-137-51478-3
Online ISBN: 978-1-137-51479-0
eBook Packages: EducationEducation (R0)