Lawrence Summers, president of Harvard University, spoke Jan. 14 at a conference on “Diversifying the Science and Engineering Work Force” that sought to explain the overwhelmingly disproportionate amount of men in the hard sciences field. Prefacing his comments with the caveat that his ideas would be controversial, Summers offered three hypotheses as to why women aren’t nearly well-enough represented in science academia and research.
First off, women had to make inevitable compromises if they wished to raise a family. Secondly, there were innate differences in scientific aptitude between men and women that positioned relatively few women in the upper echelon of scientific inquiry. Lastly, rampant discrimination disallowed women from fulfilling their true potential.
While discarding the third reason for impracticality, Summers was left to defend his other two hypotheses. Exploring his first hypothesis, Summers said that 80-hour workweeks, demanded of many elite scientists, disproportionately hurt women who begin families when their male counterparts are in the prime of their scientific careers. Expounding on his second hypothesis and certainly his most controversial, Summers explained that perhaps intrinsic aptitude, whereby men had an innate and inherent advantage over women in comprehending certain sciences, was a major factor in the predominance of men in science academia. At the end of his speech, Summers stated, “I will have served my purpose if I have provoked thought on this question and provoked the marshalling of evidence to contradict what I have said.”
Though wanting to provoke intelligent debate and reasoned discourse, Summers instead provoked feelings of outrage and dismay from members of some of our most elite institutions.
Nancy Hopkins, a biology professor at MIT, said, “When he started talking about innate differences in aptitude between men and women, I just couldn’t breathe because this kind of bias makes me physically ill. Let’s not forget that people used to say that women couldn’t drive an automobile.” At a recent faculty meeting discussing Summers’ behavior on campus, the newly formed Coalition for an Anti-Sexist Harvard marched outside and chanted, “Racist, sexist, anti-gay! Larry Summers, you must pay.”
While Summers recently apologized for his remarks and announced the creation of two university-wide task forces aimed at advancing the amount of female faculty on campus, calls for his resignation from Harvard faculty continue to ring loudly throughout Cambridge. Though the faculty is unable to directly force him to relinquish his title (that task being afforded to the Harvard Corporation, one of Harvard’s two governing boards), their modus operandi is to ignite an uproar that Summers cannot quell.
Sadly, these tactics and remarks of incredulousness from members of academia are dangerous thorns in the side of free expression and inquiry, purportedly abounding on college campuses since the idea of higher education was created.
Summers’ remarks were supposed to cause controversy. In fact, since he became president of Harvard in October 2001, Summers has taken a number of stances that certainly could be considered controversial.
In 2001, he rebuked then-untouchable African-American studies professor Cornel West for spending too much time pursuing non-academic interests, including leading a political committee for the Reverend Al Sharpton’s presidential campaign. In 2002, he challenged faculty members to combat grade inflation, after learning that more than half the grades given out at Harvard were As. Summers’ history as Harvard president is full of anecdotes about trying to keep tenured professors producing intellectual and engaging work.
Though his remarks may have been scientifically unfounded and unjustified, feminists and politically correct activists have decried Summers as being sexist and myopic without providing a shred of evidence that undermines Summers’ claims. Summers is guilty of provoking debate and discourse, nothing less. The fact that he has been pilloried and castigated for being at ideological odds with a number of Harvard professors blows smoke in the face of academic inquiry not just at Harvard, but at every single university in America.
Larry Summers should be applauded for his ability to continually question the status quo, whether it concerns the work of Harvard professors or politically correct innuendo. Institutions of higher learning should harbor and promote academic freedom and inquiry whether espoused by ridiculous fringe characters like Ward Churchill or a brilliant, outspoken president of an elite college.
Josh Moskowitz ([email protected]) is a junior majoring in political science and journalism.
