Readings in classic and contemporary political theory affirm that institutional neutrality and intellectual freedom are far from being "abstract" ideals, but are instead essential for democracy.
Thank you, Michael, for this thorough explication of philosophical underpinnings for our field--or how we might have better philosophical underpinnings. Also important that you're noting that we need to think about librarianship within small-d democratic norms, and think about democracy in general in our current sociopolitical climate, rather than thinking only about our internal issues which can produce professional myopia without the larger context.
Thank you Michael! This is a great rebuttal to all the arguments we hear about library neutrality being a barrier to intellectual freedom. I’m particularly frustrated that many of our pro-IF colleagues seem to only perceive of it as a precursor to social justice ideology, that is, that we fight for IF in order to be a safe space for marginalized groups, or rather for the progressive vision that purports to speak for these groups.
Thank you, Michael, for this thorough explication of philosophical underpinnings for our field--or how we might have better philosophical underpinnings. Also important that you're noting that we need to think about librarianship within small-d democratic norms, and think about democracy in general in our current sociopolitical climate, rather than thinking only about our internal issues which can produce professional myopia without the larger context.
Thank you Michael! This is a great rebuttal to all the arguments we hear about library neutrality being a barrier to intellectual freedom. I’m particularly frustrated that many of our pro-IF colleagues seem to only perceive of it as a precursor to social justice ideology, that is, that we fight for IF in order to be a safe space for marginalized groups, or rather for the progressive vision that purports to speak for these groups.
Thanks Todd. I agree: that view of neutrality--as a barrier to IF--never made sense to me, nor does the ideologically-determined view of IF.
What an excellent survey. Thank you. I will be passing this on to a variety of people.
Thank you for your comments and for sharing!