Bad news. Crooked Timber is reporting that Washington University at St. Louis is awarding an honourary degree to Phyllis Schlafly. The university has defended their decision by stating that she is a significant part of American life during the last half of the 20th century and now the 21st century, serving as a lightning rod for vigorous debate on difficult issues where differences of opinion are profound and passionate
. This is a ridiculous test for giving an honourary degree. Permit me a reductio ad absurdum.
How many people or groups of people can you think of who are morally reprehensible that served as a 'lightning rod for debate'? I can think of a few without even trying - the Ku Klux Klan certainly were a lightning rod for debate about race relations. Americans probably wouldn't have had such a vigourous discussion of racism and racial equality if there weren't hooded men running around at night leaving flaming crosses and lynching people.
