Science: Do some people believe, that thinking was dangerous?

I cannot see what was dangerous about science:

From my experience, on the one hand, there are some people, who simply dislike anthropology, whereas I speak of social and cultural anthropology, because this very science is investigating, asking for their social and cultural life. I mean, anthropologists ask for what (many or some) people are doing, thinking and how they deal with being together. On the other hand, there are some academics, who think this science in vain, for reasons I cannot follow. Anthropologists learn theories about facts, and try to reflect them in a critiqual manner: Of course we got to criticize - theories can be old, overcome or obsolete. If we did not criticize, we would stay in one place for lifetimes. I cannot see, where the danger was: Do some people believe, that thinking was dangerous? Professors have to teach a wide variety of knowledge about a discipline, therefore a diversity of thoughts is given.

Universities are places, where knowledge about a given discipline is gathered and spoken of. Job opportunities derive from an individual student´s engagement in science and practice. I would not let somebody tell me, I was somehow affiliated with Eichmann, because science means ideas in motion. In contrary, I would probably find, that people, who claim "liberal" for marxist, leftist or similar, were fascist.

I do not think, that professors were dangerous, because they are teaching about the "realms of thought". I do not want to be called dangerous for being a human being and what it takes to be a human being: Ideas, thoughts and reflecting about the world.

This is referring to: The erosion of academic speech at Antropologi.Info at http://www.antropologi.info/blog/anthropology/anthropology.php?p=2004&more=1&c=1&tb=1&pb=1. There is also an article and some comments here http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2006/02/13/list.

© Sybille Amber: Intellectual Property 2005/2006