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MIT Removes Online Physics Lectures and Courses By Walter Lewin
jIyajbe writes MIT is indefinitely removing retired physics faculty member Walter Lewin's online lectures from MIT OpenCourseWare and online MITx courses from edX, the online learning platform co-founded by MIT, following a determination that Dr. Lewin engaged in online sexual harassment in violation of MIT policies. For an example of Lewin's colorful style, see this YouTube video. MIT has also revoked Lewin's title as professor emeritus, after the school determined that he "had sexually harassed at least one student online."
I tried to link to a lecture that explains which law of physics forces sexual harassment to retroactively make past lectures also sexist and offensive but they took that one down too. Oh well.
Nothing, but the institute wants to sever all ties. I do hope that they are replaced with courses of similar quality, but it is perfectly understandable that they want to distance themselves from him.
Actually, if you scan my posting history, you'll notice I have nothing particular against Obama, other than his overall impotence as a president. I like some of his policies, and dislike others.
I merely used him as a convenient example, nothing more, nothing less.
So this dude fucked some schoolgirls. So what? Fire him. Did his course material fuck any schoolgirls? No? Then keep that.
Given that 'fuck' generally means intercourse, he didn't even go that far from what I'm reading.
Also, are we talking about online courses, as in Mr Lewin taking the place of an in-class teacher, or online courses ala Khan Academy, where his presence is no longer required? Because the press release mentions that he was no longer teaching anyways.
While not as big of a deal as kicking out a student in a star court, there's currently a big over-correction against anything that looks like sexual assault/harassment in the universities, which is perverting justice.
At least with an online course the evidence should be there, reducing the amount of 'he said she said'. But there's also every possibility that the professor wasn't even given an opportunity to defend himself.
I don't read AC A human right
That's the second day in a row someone uses a hilarious animal simile that gives me weird but hilarious mental images.
A friend of mine the other day used "as calm and relaxed as a rabbit on crack after a chili enema"
Well... I actually have about 25 stuffed animals. My wife couldn't have children (and was a teacher, so got her kid fix at school) and had allergies so we couldn't have pets, so we had stuffed animals. She died in Jan 2006 (after 20 years together) and now all I have left of us is memories, photos and our stuffed animals. Remember Sue...
P.S. Our rhinoceros' name is "Oserous" and his best friend is our buffalo named "Buffy" ...
It must have been something you assimilated. . . .
The issue with the Nazi medical experiments is that their methodology was utter shite. This means that figuring out what data is good vs what data is bad would be very difficult to say the least. You will see that we had no problem using the data from Unit 731. Why? Because they actually understood the scientific method.
Basically the guy committed a crime the University found so horrible they are tossing him and his stuff to the curb.
I really don't see the complaint here. Should the University be forced to maintain a relationship with him?
Who else should be forced to continue to interact with him?
Alan Turing.
Let's keep useful knowledge separate from what any culture-and-decade happens to find bad behavior. Rumor has it that a lot of work attributed to Shannon was actually Turing's work, that the UK government didn't want associated with some gay guy.
Socialism: a lie told by totalitarians and believed by fools.
And he allegedly harassed someone online -- that's all I've heard. Maybe he had a nip before bed and was just a little frustrated, we have no context -- who cares? Lots of people say a lot of things online that are far worse.
Considering that he retired a few years ago, then retired from even giving online classes, he's obviously getting on in age. Dementia is a possible problem.
I know my grandfather, in the early stages of Alzheimer's disease, has been making increasingly racist comments without any real reason to do so. Was he originally racist(before I was old enough to remember)? Was he always racist and just hid it from me(and now his ability to hide is declining)? Is it something new?
I don't know, and it makes me sad.
I wonder if a similar thing could be happening here. If it is indeed the cause, shouldn't we celebrate his rising above that past, even as we mourn his fall due to mental illness?
I don't read AC A human right
That misses the point. I can't tell you what future generations will point to as our moral failings and condemn us for, but it's certain there will be many things. Every generation is certain they've got the right view of every moral issue, and that all of those past centuries were barbaric and wrong. Why would that pattern ever change?
If his lectures are good (and it seems that they are), they stand aside from his (un)professional conduct.
Socialism: a lie told by totalitarians and believed by fools.
That would suggest, MIT ought to revise them. There is nothing wrong in a man pursuing nubile female(s).
If the vast majority of the Illiberal establishment (and MIT is overwhelmingly such) saw nothing wrong with Bill Clinton fucking his employee (no older than the students in TFA), I'm rather surprised, an MIT professor (retired) is getting so much flack over mere propositioning...
In Soviet Washington the swamp drains you.