On Thursday afternoon, Rich Lowry spoke with Dr. Joshua Katz on an NRPLUS members-only conference call.
The discussion spanned from Katz’s background in academia and his controversial termination from Princeton University to the current state of academics, the history and future of the classics, and some advice on dealing with the mob.
Katz shared that he has been an avid reader and intellectual since childhood. He explained that his father, who taught and retired from Columbia University, helped shape his lifelong goal of becoming a professor. “If there is a tragedy in what has just happened, it’s that I will not, now full-time, presumably ever be a professor again,” Katz said.
The pair go into the details of what being a professor is supposed to entail, and Katz describes how the profession has devolved from a vocation and to a job. Katz laments that he is not overly optimistic about the future of academic institutions, admitting that their core values seem to be “going into the garbage can.” He hopes academia isn’t too far gone but maintains that there is much work to be done.
Throughout the call, Katz answered questions submitted by NRPLUS members. In response to questions about tolerance and what the woke mob is doing to society, he concludes that decent people are hesitant to stand up for people in need publicly for fear of being canceled as well. He adds that the acceptance of the mob’s revolting behavior has to stop if we want our country and society to stand.
The call concluded with this parting advice from Dr.Katz: “Don’t forget to fight. We need it.”
As always, we thank those who were able to join the call and look forward to seeing you on the next one.