Professor Watchlist

Richard Amesbury is the School Director and Professor of Religious Students and Philosophy at Arizona State University. His area of expertise includes “Contemporary Political Theory,” “Philosophy of Religion,” and “Democracy and Citizenship.”

In November 2023, Amesbury co-authored an article with ASU Professor Catherine O’Donnell entitled “Dear Administrators: Enough With the Free-Speech Rhetoric!: It concedes too much to right-wing agendas.” Amesbury and O’Donnell write:

“Whether and by whom free speech is under threat on campus are hotly debated questions. Less commonly examined, however, are the assumptions that free speech is a cardinal virtue of higher education, and that colleges should aspire to a diversity of opinions.”

They continued: 

“Our contention is that calls for greater freedom of speech on campuses…risk undermining colleges’ central purpose, namely, the production of expert knowledge and understanding, in the sense of disciplinarily warranted opinion. Expertise requires freedom of school, but it is the result of a process of winnowing and refinement that is premised on the understanding that not all opinions are valid.”

They further stated:

“Efforts to ‘democratize’ opinion are antithetical to the role colleges play in educating the public and informing democratic debate.”

Interestingly, these comments appear to be directed at conservative values. The pair essentially conclude that exercising the First Amendment on campus is not conducive to an expert culture where legitimate ideas are decidedly shaped by those holding the most knowledge on any subject. The view that only “highly educated” people should shape public opinion seems to discount real-world experiences and discredit the true meaning of diversity.

In September 2024, Amesbury’s name was mentioned in an article by The College Fix featuring Christian Professor Dr. Owen Anderson who was canceled by ASU for attempting to reprise an Introduction to Christianity course. Amesbury and his colleague Professor Julia Sarreal both rejected the course, with Amesbury suggesting the syllabus needed to be “modified.” 

Dr. Anderson’s rebuttal to Amesbury’s and other objections can be read here.

In the past, Amesbury also took a skeptical position on religion and faith as human rights campaigns and legislation swept across the Eastern and Western world. 

In the introduction of the book, “Faith and Human Rights: Christianity and the Global Struggle for Human Dignity” (2008), Amesbury and co-author George M. Newlands discussed the role of religions and faith in the context of the South African Apartheid. They discussed how Christianity may have played a role in freeing the oppressed but, at the same time, was also used as a weapon.

Amesbury and Newlands assert that the morality of human rights philosophy isn’t exclusively derived from Christianity or Catholicism.  However, the book doesn’t appear to cite any other foundational source of morality that led to human rights campaigns around the world. The authors also fail to dissect other religious systems that may have made moral contributions and statements about the treatment of human beings. 

Please send tips and updates on Richard Amesbury to Watchlists@tpusa.com.

___________________
Published – September 25, 2024