Nathan Cofnas joins Brussels Signal for a wide-ranging and controversial discussion about academic freedom, DEI, race, intelligence, heredity and the limits of acceptable debate in academia.
Cofnas, a philosopher of biology, explains why his research into human variation and the possible role of heredity in differences between populations has brought him into conflict with contemporary DEI ideology. He discusses his controversial writing on race and affirmative action, his experience at Cambridge, and his ongoing legal dispute.
The conversation also examines Cofnas’s role in bringing attention to the plagiarism allegations surrounding former Cambridge academic Jason Arday, the university’s response, the subsequent media controversy and the question of who should be held responsible for the fallout.
The discussion then turns to some of the biggest questions raised by Cofnas’s work: What is the difference between racial realism and racism? Can political equality coexist with unequal traits or abilities? What does heredity actually tell us about differences between populations? And can modern democracy and public policy accommodate uncomfortable scientific questions?