Richard Stallman answer to me

[Stan Goodman]

On Monday 06 June 2011 at 18:44:06 (GMT+2) michf at post.tau.ac.il wrote:

> Quoting "Stan Goodman" <stan.goodman at hashkedim.com>:
> > On Monday 06 June 2011 at 09:58:36 (GMT+2) Shachar Shemesh
> > 
> > <shachar at shemesh.biz> wrote:
> >> On 06/06/11 03:05, Stan Goodman wrote:
> >> > Since they themselves are students or faculty in universities,
> >> > it occurs to them to boycott other universities, never
> >> > considering that universities are precisely where they are most
> >> > likely to find their soul-mates.
> >> 
> >> If, as you said, the Israeli academia were unanimously left wing,
> >> then silencing them will not significantly decrease the diversity
> >> of thought that the academia is supposed to encourage. It is
> >> precisely because Israel is a potential source for dissenting
> >> view that anyone calling for an academic boycott on Israel is
> >> undermining their own academic legitimacy.
> > 
> > Nowhere have I said that Israeli academics are unanimously left
> > wing. Everyone know, however, that many are, and that Ilan Pappe
> > was not alone before he took his nonsense to the more "kosher"
> > environment of the UK. Nor have I said that the phenomenon is
> > unique to Israel -- the same thing can be observed in the US,
> > Canada, and especially almost anyplace
> > 
> >  in Europe. I have CERTAINLY not intimated that I wish to stifle
> >  dissent
> > 
> > or silence leftists from expressing their ideas, foolish though
> > they may be.
> > 
> > I have not understood, on the other hand, why so many evidently
> > intelligent people fall for a destructive philosophy. That is a
> > relatively new phenomenon; I do not remember it from the time when
> > I was at university.
> 
> There is one big fault in your argument is that you are pushing
> opinions as facts.

Opinions are the only way that any mortal can express himself. I have 
never until now heard anyone claiming that the expression of opinions is 
a defect.

> Right wing people claim that left wing ideas are foolish and
> destructive and left wing people claim that right wing ideas are
> foolish and destructive. You can't use one or the other to claim that
> the other side is foolish.

That's a perfect way to end any argument. Do you see that?

For the record, I have never seen myself as a "right winger", nor have 
others seen me as such. I was a registered Democrat in the US, never a 
Republican, and voted for whichever party I thought best. That is still 
the case, as I am a dual citizen. In Israel, I never considered voting 
for e.g. Meretz or Mapam, but I cannot be characterized as a "right 
winger" here either.

> The only way to actually know who is right is to run with one opinion
> or the other and see if we are still here to see the results.
> Unfortunately, there is no way to know if the other course of action
> wouldn't have yielded a better result.

Yes, the only way to settle it is to wait for the outcome in the long 
term. Unhappily, in the long term we are all dead. So we form 
conclusions based on what facts we perceive. That is what discussion is 
all about.
> 
> And it is not clear what is the relatively new phenomenon, left wing
> ideas or universities (both of which by the way existed in mid-evil
> England, where the king kept them far enough not to cause trouble and
> close enough to keep an eye on. By the way, college heads at the time
> head the right to execute students).

Bearing in mind the way you think Medieval is spelled (and apparently  
what it must mean), I am content with withdrawing from the discussion.

But, to sum up my position, I have advocated declining to permit the 
Palestinians to dictate that the proposed talks must not be presented on 
the premises of an Israeli university. In other words, to sign off on a 
boycott of Israeli uiversities. In my mind, what I have advocated is a 
dignified response as Israelis, and is an eminently defensible position. 
That is indeed my opinion, and is not a fact (how could it be?). 

Nothing prevents you from acceding to the Palestinian diktat, and indeed 
accepting all the positions of the Palestinian Authority and of Hamas if 
you like. Perhaps others will agree with your stance.
-- 
Stan Goodman
Qiryat Tiv'on
Israel