Is there such a thing as academic cancel culture? If so, should we be worried about it? In this episode of the IOS Futures of Democracy Podcast, our host Dr. Janis Schaab (Ethics Institute, Utrecht University) discusses these questions with our guest Prof. Dr. Dieter Schönecker (Practical Philosophy, University of Siegen). Schönecker argues that academic cancel culture is very real, and a real problem. But, for him, the root of the problem isn’t moralism or activism. Instead, it’s epistemic arrogance: the sentiment that one can determine whether something’s true or false, scientific or unscientific, and right or wrong, once and for all. Schaab and Schönecker end by discussing the relation between academic cancel culture on the one hand, and government crackdowns on academic freedom on the other hand.

The entire podcast series on democracy, education and the university can be found on Spotify and SoundCloud.