

MIT cuts ties with Walter Lewin after online harassment probe - akbarnama
http://tech.mit.edu/V134/N60/walterlewin.html

======
dalke
That was 6 months ago. There was plenty of discussion about it
[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8720064](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8720064)
and this specific link was posted already at
[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8721987](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8721987).

Since that time, there was also a link to "Complainant in 'unprecedented'
Walter Lewin sexual harassment case comes forward" at
[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8937683](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8937683)
and "More details on the Walter Lewin case" at
[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9384745](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9384745)
.

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baldfat
Taking down the videos does seem a harsh response, but I guess cutting all
ties to Dr Walter Lewin means nothing of his can be hosted on anything that is
owned by MIT.

Does feel a little like a book burning, but I get why they cut ties with him.

~~~
jessriedel
> I guess cutting all ties to Dr Walter Lewin means nothing of his can be
> hosted on anything that is owned by MIT.

This really doesn't logically follow. It's perfectly reasonable for a
university to, say, host a video-taped panel discussion with folks who have
committed crimes, or publish a book by someone with immoral views.

The defense of taking down these courses is ostensibly based on the idea that
they need to prevent _new_ bad behavior from taking place, i.e., that the on-
going courses actually represent a danger.

> MIT says it removed Lewin videos for fear of continued harassment

But of course, there is almost certainly a way to do that while preserving the
course material.

Here are Scott Aaronson's thoughts:

[http://www.scottaaronson.com/blog/?p=2091](http://www.scottaaronson.com/blog/?p=2091)

As the comments allude to, MIT keeps copies of Mein Kampft in their library.
It doesn't mean they endorse the work.

~~~
moomin
Yes, but it's course material that sets him up in a position of authority.
It's fine for people to study Nazi-ism, but people would probably question MIT
if Joseph Goebbels were giving the lectures.

TL;DR; context matters, he's not a unique snowflake the sum of human knowledge
hasn't been impacted.

~~~
jessriedel
> people would probably question MIT if Joseph Goebbels were giving the
> lectures.

If Joseph Goebbels had something useful to say that would add to the
intellectual discussion, then MIT should host him. This could be him trying to
defend himself, or it could just be him lecturing on a topic completely
unrelated to his horrific views.

Some people would surely strongly object, but they would be wrong.

~~~
dalke
I have something to say which I think would add to the intellectual
discussion. Should MIT host my comments?

In any case, there's no need to reach towards Nazis - plenty of people
protested when the war criminal Kissinger wanted to teach at Columbia. See
[https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1350&dat=19771108&id=...](https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1350&dat=19771108&id=0gpPAAAAIBAJ&sjid=XwIEAAAAIBAJ&pg=2888,5024985&hl=en)
for example, where he made it in to Georgetown but mention that 135 faculty
and 1,000 students at Columbia "registered their disapproval and Mr. Kissinger
withdrew from the negotiations."

~~~
jessriedel
> I have something to say which I think would add to the intellectual
> discussion. Should MIT host my comments?

It doesn't matter whether _you_ think you would add to the intellectual
discussion, it matter whether MIT think so.

> In any case, there's no need to reach towards Nazis

Agreed. There are many real life cases. There are lots of things that go into
who you should hire as a professor (which is obviously distinct from who you
should host for a discussion), but there mere fact that a bunch of people
registered their disapproval doesn't much speak to them.

