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The central claim here is an example of "One thing is not like another". Discrimination against people's beliefs (whether political, moral or religious) is not equivalent to discrimination on the basis of intrinsic characteristics, such as race or gender.
telegraph.co.uk/men/thinking-m…
This is important because the proposed remedy - engineered diversity - would necessarily be far more intrusive & coercive in the realm of subjective opinion that objective properties. Ensuring 50% of all academics are "right-leaning" is not like ensuring 50% are women.
What Biggar is logically arguing for is a totalitarian quota system of unparalleled scope that would go far beyond doublethink. It would be necessary to prove beyond doubt that each academic's genuine beliefs could be accurately placed on a political spectrum.
At no point does he question why academics lean left (he quotes 80%, but that should be taken with a pinch of salt as it clearly includes centrists). Is this a structural feature of the uni sector, the product of discriminatory hiring, or a self-perpetuating workplace culture?
Without answering that question, it would be impossible to construct an effective diversity programme beyond a catechism of acceptable opinion that would encourage mere lip-service, much as universities were run in centuries past. Nigel Biggar, it's worth noting, is a theologian.
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