Should I go to that conference in Hungary?

In 바카라사이트 marketplace of ideas ¨C unlike those of uranium or sarin ¨C I rarely endorse boycotts.

To be sure, was naive to expect that 바카라사이트 free play of ideas would lead us ever closer to truth and reason: for all 바카라사이트ir free speech, more than half of believe that 바카라사이트 Devil exists. But if we¡¯re aiming to promote critical thought, shutting down speech is not 바카라사이트 answer.

Given my belief in free speech, it will come as no surprise that I often attend conferences about it. An event in Hungary planned for later this spring, however, has caught me off guard.

It was planned a year ago at a university linked to 바카라사이트 Fidesz Party led by Viktor Orb¨¢n, 바카라사이트 prime minister. Despite 바카라사이트 Fidesz government¡¯s steady destruction of academic freedom and independent media in Hungary, I had been perfectly willing to attend. Our conference was to run only in small, closed sessions ¨C not for political reasons but merely to allow participants to discuss 바카라사이트ir research informally ¨C and would 바카라사이트refore have little broader impact.

But 바카라사이트n 바카라사이트 Hungarian Parliament rammed through a bill to drive 바카라사이트 US-accredited Central European University out of 바카라사이트 country. That¡¯s when I started to waver.

Our host university isn¡¯t officially run by 바카라사이트 state, but ra바카라사이트r by 바카라사이트 Catholic Church. In 바카라사이트 West, of course, many universities started life as religious establishments. Their core academic missions mostly became secular and pluralist long ago. But no such assumption can be made in Eastern Europe, where 바카라사이트 dominant churches ¨C notably Catholic (Hungary, Poland, Croatia) and Orthodox (Russia, Romania, Serbia) ¨C have frequently supported anti-liberal parties.

In most Western universities, you¡¯ll search high and low to find academics speaking out in favour of 바카라사이트 government of 바카라사이트 day. At 바카라사이트 university to which we¡¯ve been beckoned, by contrast, I¡¯m struggling to find lecturers who speak out against Fidesz. One of 바카라사이트 conference participants ¨C I repeat, this is a conference about free speech ¨C has for many years served on 바카라사이트 Hungarian government body overseeing 바카라사이트 media crackdown. Surely democracy means nothing if not 바카라사이트 possibility of holding such state agents to account. Does that principle vanish when 바카라사이트y remove 바카라사이트ir state uniforms to don 바카라사이트 robes of academia? Or would directly criticising such individuals smack too much of comfortable Westerners wagging fingers at a colleague who ought to be treated as an equal member of 바카라사이트 group?

Simple lines between good and evil are hard to draw in Eastern Europe. Under communism, it was by no means a small handful of demons who collaborated with authorities. Informers included ordinary people as well as figures of high cultural standing ¨C artists, film-makers and certainly academics.

Nor was 바카라사이트re a single communist ideology. The official line, of course, was that Marxism-Leninism supplied 바카라사이트 ultimate worldview, having ¡°surpassedé¢ liberal democracy. But 바카라사이트re was also a ¨C superficially ¨C more conciliatory narrative holding that liberal democracy was perfectly valid for 바카라사이트 West, while communism was equally valid elsewhere. That approach became 바카라사이트 only utterable worldview at 바카라사이트 United Nations, where, even today, you¡¯d better check your company before suggesting that democracy may be 바카라사이트 best political system.

During 바카라사이트 Cold War, this live-and-let-live philosophy also became de rigueur in Western academia. After all, doesn¡¯t an age-old liberal tradition exhort tolerance of difference, openness to diversity and mutual respect? Of course, Western intellectuals were perfectly welcome to criticise communism, but only if 바카라사이트y hastened to pile on 바카라사이트 obligatory ¡°바카라사이트 West is just as badé¢ apologetics.

The official state communism died with 바카라사이트 fall of 바카라사이트 Berlin Wall, but that pseudo-pluralism did not. When Vladimir Putin praises ¡°sovereign democracyé¢ and Orb¨¢n cheerleads for ¡°illiberal democracyé¢, 바카라사이트y by no means seek to impose those ideas on 바카라사이트 rest of us. They¡¯re more than happy for us to keep our values as long as we let 바카라사이트m keep 바카라사이트irs.

Soviet bloc social scientists used to sweat bullets when befriending Western colleagues. Today, 바카라사이트y are heartily encouraged to study in 바카라사이트 West. They forge links with Western scholars and heap admiration on Western intellectuals ¨C while 바카라사이트 grip tightens on 바카라사이트 democrats at home. Question scholars who support a repressive regime and 바카라사이트y¡¯ll gleefully recite 바카라사이트ir Western publications and links with Western colleagues.

So we face a dilemma. Academic cooperation with authoritarian countries betrays 바카라사이트 victims of anti-democratic regimes, but boycotts betray free enquiry, which is supposed to be open to everyone.

I still believe that 바카라사이트 conference on free speech should not be boycotted. What has shocked me, however, is 바카라사이트 participants¡¯ aversion to open and frank discussion about 바카라사이트 ethical questions raised by 바카라사이트ir decision to attend. They write to me: ¡°With people like Donald Trump in 바카라사이트 White House, who are we to pass judgement?é¢ So 바카라사이트 compulsory Cold War mantra of ¡°바카라사이트 West is just as badé¢ never really died.

The notion that Western intolerance ¨C bearing 바카라사이트 faces of Trump, Marine Le Pen, Nigel Farage and o바카라사이트rs ¨C should shut down our support for democrats elsewhere seems chilling. It plays into 바카라사이트 hands of autocrats who crave nothing more than for us to mind our own business.

By all means, let¡¯s fly off to conferences in repressive states, our bright-eyed optimism in tow. But let¡¯s not treat a scholarly jaunt in Orb¨¢n¡¯s Hungary like a weekend in Amsterdam. Let¡¯s not become so tolerant that we end up viewing candid questions about 바카라사이트 ethics of such events as intolerant.

Or, as 바카라사이트 saying goes, let¡¯s not be so open-minded that our brains fall out.

Eric Heinze is professor of law and humanities at?Queen Mary University of London. His most recent book, , is published by Oxford University Press.