Share
Nobelpreisträger: Hochschulen bilden kritische Denker aus. Deshalb werden wir ins Visier genommen
Joachim Frank
Affiliation: Columbia University, New York, USA
Keywords: Critical Thinking; Higher Education; Authoritarianism; Democracy; Resistance.
Categories: News and Views
DOI: 10.17160/josha.12.5.1093
Languages: German
In this compelling essay, Nobel Laureate Joachim Frank denounces the resurgence of authoritarianism and the spread of fascist tendencies threatening democracy and academic freedom in the United States. Reflecting on his early life in Nazi Germany and his five decades as a scientist and professor in America, Frank warns that universities, centers of critical thinking, diversity, and open debate, are now being targeted by political forces that seek control through fear, censorship, and ideological manipulation. He exposes how attacks on higher education, science, and free expression are intertwined with broader patterns of discrimination, propaganda, and the dismantling of democratic institutions. Frank’s message is both urgent and hopeful: defending universities means defending truth, reason, and the very essence of a free society. JOSHA stands firmly with this call to resist authoritarianism in all its forms and reaffirms its commitment to protecting freedom of thought, academic integrity, and human dignity across the world.