Academic freedom: What it is, what it isn’t and why there’s confusion | Robert Quinn

Academics are often attacked for having the audacity to pursue their research wherever it leads. But engaging with difficult, challenging ideas is a large part of what academia is about. - Academic expression is neither free expression nor political, though it is connected to both. Because of this misunderstanding, academic expression is often attacked, not because of the quality of scholars' ideas, but because of scholars' audacity in sharing them. - The Scholars at Risk network is working to ensure that academics of all stripes have the academic freedom they need to pursue their work. - In this video, Robert Quinn stresses that this is not a left/right issue, nor is it something that's only happening halfway across the world, and he explains why it's so important to defend academic freedom. Robert Quinn is a human rights advocate, lawyer, lecturer, writer and founding executive director of Scholars at Risk, an international network of more than 500 higher education institutions and thousands of individuals in 39 countries dedicated to protecting at-risk scholars, promoting academic freedom, and defending everyone’s freedom to think, question and share ideas. The opinions expressed in this video do not necessarily reflect the views of the Charles Koch Foundation, which encourages the expression of diverse viewpoints within a culture of civil discourse and mutual respect. Give yourself the gift of knowledge — subscribe to Big Think Edge: http://bit.ly/bigthinkedge If you're interested in licensing this or any other Big Think clip for commercial or private use, contact our licensing partner Executive Interviews: https://ift.tt/2IQF1gR Read more here: https://ift.tt/2N9hMBS Follow Big Think here: YouTube: http://goo.gl/CPTsV5 Facebook: https://ift.tt/1qJMX5g Twitter: https://twitter.com/bigthink