Quote:
Originally Posted by Elfwreck
The problem isn't with the rationality, or lack thereof, of the beliefs. It's with the harmful actions taken because of the irrational beliefs. There's a limit to how much we allow a person's beliefs to excuse harmful behavior.
|
Exactly-- getting back to the side issue of the teacher (temporarily) fired for his beliefs-- the University's first concern needs to be their students. Having a teacher on staff who has expressed explicitly that he believes a class of students are "immoral" and "wrong" and "against natural law" for nothing more than being who they are
is harmful behavior. Those students wouldn't feel comfortable taking classes from such a professor and likely wouldn't have a positive opinion of a university that employs someone like that. It is harmful to the students in question, it is therefore harmful to the student body in general, and therefore it is harmful to the university itself to employ someone who openly expresses such views.
That is the heart of the issue. No school should be required to employ someone who openly condemns an entire class of students, and no students should be required to take classes from such a professor (and if that is the only instructor for that subject at that school, it is a de facto requirement.)
It reminds me of this very similar issue:
http://www.religiondispatches.org/di...judge_says_no/
http://www.moonbattery.com/archives/...ian-stude.html
And, well, this guy:
http://blogs.suntimes.com/ebert/page...t-atorney.html