Latest news with #StevenPinker
New York Times
7 days ago
- General
- New York Times
Harvard as Symbol and Target
To the Editor: Re 'Is America Really Better Off if Harvard Gets Crushed?,' by Steven Pinker (Opinion guest essay, May 25): Dr. Pinker need not apologize for Harvard's imperfections and its shortcomings, or praise the best of what it has to offer. There has not been a studied analysis of this school by the Trump administration. Its attack on the university is simply a con. President Trump has announced his list of enemies. Elite universities are prominent among them, and Harvard is the perfect target for him, the head of the snake. Mr. Trump loves to hate. And when he hates, it is with the most intense fury. To him, Harvard is not a college, but a symbol, a vehicle, a place where he can make a point, in his own fashion, loudly and wildly. There are no shades of color in his universe — only black or white, for or against. There can be no appeasing Mr. Trump. For victims of his animus, the goal line will forever be moving. Antisemitism was the first excuse for his attacks, then D.E.I., then curriculum. Now it's foreign students. Tomorrow it will be something else, anything else. Harvard no longer exists to educate. It has disappeared under an avalanche of Mr. Trump's malice. Robert S. NussbaumFort Lee, N.J. To the Editor: As a trustee at another university in the Boston area, I have lived through similar experiences and agree with most of what Steven Pinker suggests. At a recent commencement dinner, I had the opportunity to sit with our provost, who expressed her view that she sincerely hopes that universities will do some in-depth soul-searching when the uproar we are experiencing now settles down. I believe we are doing just that. Thank you, Dr. Pinker, for pointing out that faculty members who use students to protest and express support for their personal views are being inappropriate and unprofessional. Those of us who protested in the 1960s were mostly students. Faculty generally did not protest with us. Instead, in the context of small group discussions, they led students toward deep discussions, encouraging us to defend our views, learn the law and express ourselves peacefully. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
New York Post
28-05-2025
- Politics
- New York Post
Trump's team needs to spell out what ‘winning' over Harvard means, or they risk defeat
We're happy to cheer Team Trump as it confronts Harvard University and the rest of US academia — but we're not sure what the end game is here, nor if the president's men and women even have one in mind. Few Americans will sympathize with the 'suffering' of a privileged institution with an endowment over $50 billion, not to mention the institutionalized antisemitism, the hostility to free speech and the record of nakedly racist admissions and hiring policies. Nor, as iconoclast Steven Pinker put it (in a column defending the school) its demands that job applicants submit 'diversity statements' that test 'their willingness to write woke-o-babble.' Advertisement And we can certainly understand a focus on Harvard first to encourage its peers to get moving before the spotlight hits them, as witness MIT's move to drop DEI. Without a doubt, Harvard has to do far more than have its president tell NPR that he knows it needs to do better. But even Harvard alum and harsh critic Bill Ackman, in a long post on these issues, allows that Team Trump's maximalist April 11 list of demands was a mistake, even as he points to the April 3 requests as a fine template for reform. Advertisement It's insanely confusing for most observers, what with all the grant cancellations, moves to cancel the school's tax-exempt status, revoking of visas for its foreign students and on and on. And if it keeps up, it'll start to look purely punitive — which risks a slapdown not just by liberal district-court judges, but by Supreme Court justices who'll expect the feds to hold all universities to some consistent set of standards. Get opinions and commentary from our columnists Subscribe to our daily Post Opinion newsletter! Thanks for signing up! Enter your email address Please provide a valid email address. By clicking above you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Never miss a story. Check out more newsletters Harvard & Co. dealt themselves losing hands by becoming so dependent on federal largesse, but the country's far better off if these once-great institutions can be salvaged. Advertisement On an informal level, they can and should show seriousness by replacing multiple board members with clearly committed reformers. Meanwhile, Trump and his minions need to lay out hard, realistic specifics for what winning this battle will look like — or they risk making it unwinnable.
CNN
24-05-2025
- Politics
- CNN
Harvard professor on Trump Administration barring enrollment of foreign students at university
Steven Pinker, Harvard University Professor of Psychology, says "The Trump administration is following the handbook of authoritarian regimes and dictatorships" by going after universities, law firms and media organizations that potentially oppose its policies.
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Does Trump have ‘Harvard Derangement Syndrome'?
(NewsNation) — Much like President Trump has said his critics suffer from 'Trump Derangement Syndrome,' a Harvard University psychology professor suggests the administration may be exhibiting signs of 'Harvard Derangement Syndrome.' Dr. Steven Pinker wrote an op-ed piece in the New York Times, published Friday, that says his employer has drawn outsize scorn from Trump, who has leveled several broadsides at Harvard in his second term as he accuses the institution of being a far-left bastion. A federal judge Friday temporarily blocked the Department of Homeland Security's attempt to bar the university from enrolling international students. The administration also froze billions in grants to Harvard, and Trump has threatened the university's tax-exempt status. Trump actions against Harvard 'over the top': Pat Toomey 'They seem to be obsessed with Harvard,' Pinker, referring to White House, told NewsNation's 'On Balance.' 'We didn't try to get into the administration's sights, but they have taken a bead on Harvard.' Pinker noted he himself been a critic of Harvard and says it could have done more to prevent harassment of Jewish students during the Israel-Hamas war protests. But he said Trump ultimately is in the wrong. The president is 'imposing illegal, unconstitutional demands on Harvard,' Pinker said. 'He's the one who picked the fight. Harvard's just defending itself.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
CNN
24-05-2025
- Politics
- CNN
Harvard professor on Trump Administration barring enrollment of foreign students at university
Steven Pinker, Harvard University Professor of Psychology, says "The Trump administration is following the handbook of authoritarian regimes and dictatorships" by going after universities, law firms and media organizations that potentially oppose its policies.
