Peterson flaunts his academic credentials to present himself as an expert on law, gender and human rights, but his speculations on the subject are not based on evidence – is he simply misinformed or being malicious?
I recently noticed a tweet responding to a video of Professor Rinaldo Walcott, the Director of Women and Gender Studies Institute at the University of Toronto. In the video, Walcott suggests that his U of T colleague Jordan Peterson shouldn’t be debating issues about which he has no expertise, in particular Peterson’s well-publicized antagonism toward the use of non-gender pronouns. The tweet pointed out that it would be ridiculous not to be allowed to criticize or discuss issues for which we don’t have academic credentials.
I agree that it is regressive and elitist to require a degree in order to have your voice included. Nevertheless, Walcott is right. To quote Spider-Man, “With great power comes great responsibility.”
Professors aren’t average people. Academia maintains a rigorous peer-driven hierarchy that bestows upon professors significant authority. When professors make claims, we reasonably expect those claims to be backed by evidence and argument of a quality befitting a scholar. So long as Peterson carries with him the title of professor and draws his platform and authority from it, we should expect a degree of rigour from his political work.
FLORENCE ASHLEY – NOW TORONTO – JANUARY 2, 2018.
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