Last Wednesday, the American Academy of Sciences and Letters held its investiture gala during which 10 individuals were honored for their academic work, highlighting the importance of free speech, dialogic discourse, and authentic pursuit of knowledge. Academics and writers honored included Robert P. George, Candance Vogler, and Jonathan Haidt, among others.
The highlight of the evening was a presentation of the inaugural Robert J. Zimmer Medal for Intellectual Freedom given to British novelist Sir Salman Rushdie. The medal is named for the former president of the University of Chicago, late Robert J. Zimmer, who exemplified complete authenticity in not merely academic work and academic freedom, but in constant pursuit of what is true, good, and beautiful.
Rushdie has always spoken in support of freedom of speech, and this has made him a target—first in 1988 when Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini issued a fatwa against Rushdie and demanded he be murdered for the publication of his novel, The Satanic Verses, and secondly, when Rushdie was attacked and wounded last year during a…
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