Guest of "It happened this week" on Europe 1, the philosopher and lecturer at the Sorbonne Pierre-Henri Tavoillot returned to the survey requested by Frédérique Vidal on "Islamo-leftism" in universities.
If the debate on this term must exist according to him, it is not in agreement on all the plans with the Minister of Higher Education.
ANALYSIS
The Minister of Higher Education, Frédérique Vidal, asked the CNRS for an investigation into "Islamo-leftism" at the university, causing controversy this week.
According to her, "Islamo-leftism plagues society as a whole and the university is not impermeable".
Guest of
It happened this week
on Europe 1, Pierre-Henri Tavoillot, who created at the Sorbonne a formation of "Secular referent", indicates that he does not "recognize himself fully" in the approach of Frédérique Vidal.
If he considers that a debate on the subject is "beneficial and interesting", according to him such an approach raises several major problems.
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"A form of denial"
Pierre-Henri Tavoillot initially regrets that there is "a form of denial" on the question of "Islamo-leftism".
"Is there this type of problem in the whole of society and it wouldn't exist at university?"
he asks, in reaction to the rebellion caused in the academic world by the words of the Minister of Higher Education and Research.
The fact that a mission on the subject in the universities has been entrusted to the CNRS the "gene" also.
"Similar problems also arise at the CNRS," he says.
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"Not very smart" approach
"But I think the essential point is not that", continues Pierre-Henri Tavoillot.
“Asking to do research on researchers is not very smart. I don't like it, because there is a principle called academic freedom. Anyone can research what they want. 'he wants ", he explains at the microphone of Europe 1.
The lecturer at the Sorbonne also recalls that "ideologies have every right to express themselves as long as they do not constitute pressure on individuals or on researchers. As long as they do not form the profiles of research, as long as they do not produce censorship effects. "
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And "we must recognize that there are," says Pierre-Henri Tavoillot, citing the cancellation of the performance of a play by Aeschylus at the Sorbonne in March 2019. "There are these phenomena that are present. So I believe that these are the practices that must be aimed at, "says the philosopher.
"After, the debate of ideas, it's our job! If we do not agree with theses, we must face them, confront each other and counter-argue", he concludes.