Dr. Frank's What's-it

Astounding idiocy... ...from Patrick Bateson,

Astounding idiocy...

...from Patrick Bateson, the provost of King's College, Cambridge (via Instantman.) And I'm not easily astounded.

Here's how Professor Bateson defends Mona Baker's purge of Israeli scholars:

"Always," he said, "science is set in social contexts." As an example he cited Josef Mengele, the Auschwitz doctor who tortured Jewish children in experiments.

"Supposing we had the possibility of collaborating with a Mengele," Professor Bateson said. "That would be a case where everybody would say politics would definitely come into science, and say we could not let that happen."

Gideon Toury, one of the dismissed Israeli scholars, was "momentarily speechless" when he was informed that Bateson had attempted to justify the boycott petition by comparing him to Mengele. I'm speechless, too.

Leave aside for the moment, if you can manage it, the obvious and outrageous display of moral equivalence. These remarks were apparently made in response to questions posed by the New York Times article's writer, with the intention of defending the anti-Israel boycott and Mona Baker's application of it.

"Hmm," thinks Professor Bateson. "New York Times, is it? By Jove, this calls for a Mengele comparison! I say, that'll put the butter on the spinach!"

Not the most effective damage-control strategy, to say the least. At minimum, this guy needs a crash course in public relations.

As for the substance of these remarks and the corresponding apparent lack of sense and human decency, I'm still speechless.

Posted by Dr. Frank at July 11, 2002 10:31 AM | TrackBack