April 4, 2017
Mr. Zoltán Balog
Minister of Human Capacities
1054 Budapest, Akadémia utca 3.
Hungary
Dear Minister Balog,
In light of recent legislation, rammed through the Hungarian Parliament in unseemly haste; legislation that, if enacted, would jeopardize the continuing operation of Central European University, or at the very least endanger its independence, we – members of the Philosophy Department of Princeton University – write to express our support for the Central European University, and our deep concern about your government's attack on academic freedom and excellence. None of the government's rationale for its proposed legislation – wishing to crack down on fraudulent private universities from other countries – makes sense in the case of CEU. The Central European University is one of the few remaining independent cultural institutions in Hungary, and the most prominent and prestigious university in all of East-Central Europe – a gem.
A number of our faculty – as well as faculty in other departments all over the country – have worked with colleagues at CEU, participated in its conferences and highly-regarded summer schools, and were visitors at the CEU Institute for Advanced Study.
We are gravely concerned about this attack on academic freedom, higher education, and civil society. We stand with CEU, and hope your government will reconsider this ominous legislation.
Sincerely,
Adam Elga, Professor
Johann Frick, Assistant Professor
Daniel Garber, A. Watson Armour III University Professor of Philosophy
Mark Johnston, Henry Putnam University Professor of Philosophy
Sarah-Jane Leslie, Class of 1943 Professor of Philosophy
Sarah McGrath, Associate Professor of Philosophy
Alexander Nehamas, Edmund N. Carpenter II Class of 1943 Professor in the Humanities. Professor of Comparative Literature.
Michael Smith, McCosh Professor of Philosophy
April 4, 2017
Dr. Michael Ignatieff
President and Rector
Central European University
Budapest, Hungary
Dear Dr. Ignatieff,
In light of recent legislation, rammed through the Hungarian Parliament in unseemly haste; legislation that, if enacted, would jeopardize the continuing operation of your institution or at the very least endanger its independence, we – members of the Philosophy Department of Princeton University – write to express our support for the Central European University, and our deep concern about the Hungarian government's attack on academic freedom and excellence. It is one of the few remaining independent cultural institutions in Hungary, and the most prominent and prestigious university in all of East-Central Europe – a gem.
A number of our faculty – as well as faculty in other departments all over the country – have worked with colleagues at CEU, participated in its conferences and highly-regarded summer schools, and were visitors at the CEU Institute for Advanced Study.
Members of our department stand ready to lend any support in the cause of defending academic freedom, higher education, and civil society. As the demonstrators in Budapest pointed out so poignantly on Sunday, in today's world we don't know "who is next". Our only defense is to stand together.
We hope the Hungarian government will reconsider this ominous legislation.
With best wishes,
Adam Elga, Professor
Johann Frick, Assistant Professor
Daniel Garber, A. Watson Armour III University Professor of Philosophy
Mark Johnston, Henry Putnam University Professor of Philosophy
Sarah-Jane Leslie, Class of 1943 Professor of Philosophy
Sarah McGrath, Associate Professor of Philosophy
Alexander Nehamas, Edmund N. Carpenter II Class of 1943 Professor in the Humanities. Professor of Comparative Literature.
Michael Smith, McCosh Professor of Philosophy