This site hosted by Free.ProHosting.com
Google

Support Academic Freedom and Piet Hut

Latest News: IAS drops lawsuit

 According to an official statement posted November 8, the IAS has decided to drop its lawsuit against Prof. Hut. Thanks to all of you who signed the petition below for helping make this happen! Predictably, the IAS and Prof. Hut give different versions of the story (compare the IAS statement with Prof. Hut's response). For instance, the new IAS statement does not mention the 1999 agreement, and refers to ``Hut's propaganda campaign''. Those of us who organized this petition feel strongly that this was our campaign, since Hut had nothing to do with it. Notwithstanding, we warmly welcome the IAS decision, and hope that there will be no further attempts to pressure Prof. Hut into leaving. Perhaps the most important lesson learned is that when hundreds of scholars across the world speak up, it has an effect. Thanks again for your overwhelming support!

Background

As reported in the New York Times (10/8-2000) and Science Magazine (10/27), the trustees of the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton have filed a lawsuit against astrophysics Professor Piet Hut as part of an attempt to take away his tenure and make him leave his position. The official IAS position is that he was asked to leave because of substandard academic performance. However, given his astrophysics publication record, many of his colleagues feel that the real reason was IAS disapproval of Prof. Hut's choice of research topics. If you feel that this is not an appropriate reason for revoking tenure, then we ask for your support by signing this electronic petition. It takes about 30 seconds. Your signature and comments are valuable regardless of your profession and whether you are close to the case or not. Here is some further background. More details on the case are available on Prof. Hut's website and on the IAS website. (Prof. Hut himself had nothing to do with the creation of this petition, which was initiated by the ad hoc Committee in Support of Piet Hut and Academic Freedom, a group of concerned colleagues. Advertisements are placed here by the internet provider to keep the service free of charge.)

Petition (please sign at the bottom of the list)

I support academic freedom and urge the IAS to let Prof. Hut keep his position.
1 Prof. Junichiro Makino Astronomy University of Tokyo Tokyo, Japan
2 Prof. Mary Louise Gill Classics, Philosophy, Ancient ScienceUniversity of Pittsburgh Pittsburgh, PA, USA
3 Prof. Howard Gardner Education Harvard Graduate School of Education Cambridge, MA, USA
4 Prof. Richard A. Muller Physics University of California Berkeley, CA, USA
5 Prof. Stuart Kauffman Biology Chief Scientific Officer and Chairman of the Board, Bios Group Inc Santa Fe, NM, USA
6 Prof. Edwin L. Turner Astrophysics Princeton University Observatory Princeton, NJ, USA
7 Dr. Paul Coppock Philosophy University of Pittsburgh Pittsburgh, PA, USA
8 Prof. Arthur Zajonc Physics Amherst College Amherst, MA, USA
9 Christopher O'Dell Astrophysics Univ. of Wisconsin-Madison Madison, WI, USA
10 Prof. David Chalmers Philosophy University of Arizona Tucson, AZ, USA
11 Prof. Max Tegmark Astrophysics University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia, PA, USA
12 Dr. Angelica de Oliveira-CostaAstrophysics University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia, PA, USA
13 Dr. Douglas Finkbeiner Astrophysics Hubble Fellow, UC Berkeley Berkeley, CA, USA
14 Dr. Tal Alexander Astrophysics Space Telescope Science Institute Baltimore, MD, USA
15 Dr. Lloyd Knox Astrophysics University of Chicago Chicago, IL, USA
16 Prof. Douglas Heggie Mathematics, StatisticsUniversity of Edinburgh Edinburgh, UK
17 Dr. Daniel Stern Astronomy JPL/Caltech Pasadena, CA, USA
18 Prof. Richard Bett Philosophy Acting Executive Director, American Philosophical Association Newark, DE, USA
19 Dr. Leonidas Moustakas Astrophysics University of Oxford, NAPL Oxford, UK
20 Prof. Gerald Jay Sussman Electrical EngineeringMassachusetts Institute of Technology Cambridge, MA, USA
21 Prof. Frank Verbunt Astronomy Astronomical Institute Utrecht, The Netherlands
22 Prof. Henk Barendregt Mathematics, Computer Science Nijmegen University Nijmegen, The Netherlands
23 Prof. Harry van der Laan Astronomy University of Utrecht Utrecht, The Netherlands
24 Dr. Eamonn Kerins Theoretical Physics Oxford University Oxford, UK
25 Dr. Georges Meylan Astrophysics Space Telescope Science Institute Baltimore, MD, USA
26 Dr. Dirk Terrell Astrophysics Southwest Research Institute Boulder, CO, USA
27 Matt Zwolinski Philosophy University of Arizona Tucson, AZ, USA
28 Prof. Gerald Dworkin Philosophy University of California at Davis Davis, CA, USA
29 Prof. Ronald E. Purser Management San Francisco State University San Francisco, CA, USA
30 Prof. Paul Saka Philosophy Brooklyn College, CUNY New York, NY, USA
31 Prof. Sandra D. Mitchell History & Philosophy of ScienceUniversity of Pittsburgh Pittsburgh, PA, USA
32 Dr. Dong Kwang Kim Ethics, Philosophy Tokyo University of Social Welfare Isesaki, Japan
33 Dr. Abdollah Payrow Shabani Philosophy University of Ottawa Ottawa, Canada
34 Christopher A. Pynes Philosophy Florida State University Tallahassee, FL, USA
35 Ben Bradley . Virginia Tech Blacksburg, VA, USA
36 Prof. Daniel C. Russell Philosophy Wichita State University Wichita, KS, USA
37 Aldo Antonelli . Univ of California, Irvine Irvine, CA, USA
38 Prof. Ronald R. Sundstrom Philosophy University of Memphis Memphis, TN, USA
39 Andrew Jorgensen . Temple University Philadelphia, PA, USA
40 Dr. Elaine Landry Philosophy Oxford University Oxford, UK
41 Prof. Robert Price Philosophy, History of LogicPennsylvania State University University Park, PA, USA
42 Prof. Barbara Montero Philosophy University of Pittsburgh Pittsburgh, PA, USA
43 Prof. Peter Klein Philosophy Rutgers University New Brunswick, NJ, USA
44 Prof. William J. FitzPatrickPhilosophy Virginia Tech Blacksburg, VA, USA
45 Prof. A. Chadwick Ray Political PhilosophyCentral College Pella, IA, USA
46 Prof. Michael P. Lynch Philosophy Connecticut College New London, CT, USA
47 Paul Harrington Jr. Philosophy . Boston, MA, USA
48 Jon Torgerson Philosophy, Env. Sci. & PolicyChair, Philosophy/Religion and Director, Environmental Sci. & Policy, Drake University Des Moines, IA, USA
49 Prof. Cristina Lafont Philosophy Northwestern University Evanston, IL, USA
50 Prof. Richard Lee Philosophy Penn State University University Park, PA, USA
51 Prof. Donald R. Keyworth Philosophy of Artificial IntelligenceDrake University Des Moines, IA, USA
52 Dr. Slavek Rucinski Astronomy University of Toronto Toronto, Canada
53 Prof. Tommie Shelby African-American Studies, Philosophy Harvard University Cambridge, MA, USA
54 Prof. Michael Goodman Philosophy Humboldt State University Arcata, CA, USA
55 Dr. Avedis Aznavurian Biology, Philosophy of Science Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana - XochimilcoMexico City, Mexico
56 Prof. Sean William Doyle Interdisciplinary Humanities Moraine Valley Community College Palos Hills, IL, USA
57 Dr. C. Stephen Evans Philosophy Calvin College Grand Rapids, MI, USA
58 Eirik Harris Philosophy University of California, San Diego La Jolla, CA, USA
59 Prof. Eric Cave Philosophy Arkansas State University State University, AR, USA
60 Prof. Natalie Brender Ethics Wesleyan University Middletown, CT, USA
61 Dr. D. R. Koukal Philosophy University of Detroit Mercy Detroit, MI, USA
62 Dr. John Partridge Philosophy Loyola College in Maryland Baltimore, MD, USA
63 Prof. A. P. Martinich Philosophy of Language Univesity of Texas at Austin Austin, TX, USA
64 Prof. Timothy O'Keefe Philosophy University of Minnesota, Morris Morris, MN, USA
65 Prof. William A. Haines Philosophy Georgetown University Washington, DC, USA
66 Prof. Lesley Friedman Philosophy Lynchburg College Lynchburg, VA, USA
67 Prof. Deborah Soles Philosophy Wichita State University Wichita, KS, USA
68 Dr. Mark van Atten Philosophy Utrecht University Utrecht, The Netherlands
69 Dr. Thomas Platt Philosophy West Chester University West Chester, PA, USA
70 John Pang Philosophy University of California, San Diego La Jolla, CA, USA
71 Dr. Linda Kotzamanis Philosophy . Lynn, MA, USA
72 Mark E. Wunderlich Philosophy University of Arizona Tucson, AZ, USA
73 Prof. Michael V. Wedin Philosophy University of California, Davis Davis, CA, USA
74 Prof. Mark A. Painter History of Ethics College Misericordia Dallas, PA, USA
75 Prof. Eugene F. Milone Astronomy & Astrophysics The University of Calgary Calgary, Canada
76 Prof. Mitchell Miller Greek Philosophy Vassar College Poughkeepsie, NY, USA
77 Prof. Stephen Turner Philosophy University of South Florida Tampa, FL, USA
78 Prof. Phillip Cary Philosophy Eastern College St. Davids, PA, USA
79 Prof. Taylor Carman Modern European Philosophy Barnard College, Columbia UniversityNew York, NY, USA
80 Susan K. Allard-Nelson Philosophy Pacific Lutheran University Tacoma, WA, USA
81 Margaret Cuonzo Philosophy Long Island University Brooklyn, NY, USA
82 Nebojsa Kujundzic Philosophy University of Prince Edward Island Charlottetown, Canada
83 Dr. Carl David Steen Philosophy . New York, NY, USA
84 Dr. Allan Back Philosophy, History and Philosophy of LogicKutzotwn Unviersity, Albert-Ludwigs-Unviersitat FreiburgKutztown, PA, USA
85 Dr. John R. Josephson Computer Science, Epistemology The Ohio State University Columbus, OH, USA
86 Prof. José Manuel de Barros DiasPhilosophy Universidade de Évora Évora, Portugal
87 Prof. Martino Traxler Philosophy Agnes Scott College Decatur, GA, USA
88 Prof. Eric Dietrich Artificial Intelligence, Philosophy of Mind Binghamton University, State Univ. of NYBinghamton, NY, USA
89 Prof. Joan C. Callahan Philosophy University of Kentucky Lexington, KY, USA
90 Prof. James Mensch Philosophy Saint Francis Xavier University Antigonnish, Canada
91 Lecturer Paul Raymont Philosophy University of Calgary Calgary, Canada
92 Dr. Flavia Cymbalista Financial Markets Psychology UC Berkeley Berkeley, CA, USA
93 Prof. Owen Flanagan Philosophy Duke University Durham, NC, USA
94 Brandon Claycomb Philosophy Marian College Fond du Lac, WI, USA
95 Prof. Niall Shanks Evolutionary Biology East Tennessee State University Johnson City, TN, USA
96 Prof. John C. Maraldo Japanese Philosophy University of North Florida Jacksonville, FL, USA
97 Prof. Daniel J. Cook Modern History of Philosophy Brooklyn College, CUNY Brooklyn, NY, USA
98 Prof. D. Kelly Coble Philosophy American University in Cairo Cairo, Egypt
99 Prof. Stuart Silvers Philosophy of Cognitive Science Clemson University Clemson, SC, USA
100 Prof. Ron Mallon Philosophy University of Utah Salt Lake City, UT, USA
101 Prof. Daniel J. Cook Modern History of Philosophy Brooklyn College, CUNY Brooklyn, NY, USA
102 Prof. Ed Sherline Philosophy University of Wyoming Laramie, WY, USA
103 Maureen Linker Philosophy University of Michigan/Dearborn Dearborn, MI, USA
104 Prof. Guido Bacciagaluppi Philosophy University of California at BerkeleyBerkeley, CA, USA
105 Prof. Rob Rupert Philosophy Texas Tech University Lubbock, TX, USA
106 Prof. Steve Naragon Philosophy Manchester College N. Manchester, IN, USA
107 Prof. George Randels Ethics, Religious Studies University of the Pacific Stockton, CA, USA
108 Prof. Michael F. Patton, Jr.Philosophy University of Montevallo Montevallo, AL, USA
109 Dr. Vadim Batitsky Philosophy of Science and MathematicsSt. John's University Staten Island, NY, USA
110 Prof. Yoko Arisaka Philosophy University of San Francisco San Francisco, CA, USA
111 Mr. Thomas Eskridge Cognitive Science IRSI Austin, TX, USA
112 Christopher G. Griffin Philosophy Northern Arizona University Flagstaff, AZ, USA
113 Prof. Edward James Ethical Pluralism, Theory of Mind Bridgewater State College Bridgewater, MA, USA
114 Prof. Alastair Norcross Philosophy Southern Methodist University Dallas, TX, USA
115 Prof. Arthur B. Markman Psychology University of Texas Austin, TX, USA
116 Karl A. Stocker Philosophy University of Connecticut Storrs, CT, USA
117 Prof. Graham Parkes Philosophy University of Hawaii Honolulu, HI, USA
118 Prof. Shaun Gallagher Philosophy and Cognitive Science Canisius College Buffalo, NY, USA
119 Prof. Catherine Z. Elgin Philosophy Harvard Graduate School of EducationCambridge, MA, USA
120 Dr. Lewis Loren . MITRE Bedford, MA, USA
121 Steven Geisz Philosophy SUNY-Oswego Oswego, NY, USA
122 Prof. Gordon Knight Philosophy University of Iowa Iowa City, IA, USA
123 Prof. Brian Goodwin Biology Schumacher College Milton Keynes, UK
124 Dr. David W. Hogg Astrophysics Institute for Advanced Study Princeton, NJ, USA
125 Prof. Joel I. Friedman Philosophy University of California at Davis Davis, California, USA
126 Anthony Spaulding Computer Science, Philosophy Binghamton University Binghamton, NY, USA
127 Prof. Ira Singer Philosophy Hofstra University Hempstead, NY, USA
128 Prof. Edmund L. Erde Philosophy UMDNJ Stratford, NJ, USA
129 Susan E. Timko Philosophy American Philosophical Association Newark, DE, USA
130 Prof. Edward Stein Law Cardozo School of Law New York, NY, USA
131 Prof. Richard Arthur Philosophy Middlebury College Middlebury, VT, USA
132 Prof. Don L. Alexander Mathematics University of Montevallo Montevallo, Alabama, USA
133 Prof. Szabo Gendler Philosophy Syracuse University Syracuse, NY, USA
134 Dr. Susan Morris Philosophy Ferris State University Big Rapids, MI, USA
135 Prof. Clark Wolf Philosophy University of Georgia Athens, GA, USA
136 Prof. William J. Letzkus Philosophy Humanities Dept., Widener UniversityChester, PA, USA
137 Dr. Bryan W. Finken Philosophy Metropolitan State College of DenverDenver , CO, USA
138 Prof. Pierre Lamarche Philosophy Utah Valley State College Orem, Utah, USA
139 Dr. Robert F. Allen Philosophy American Philosophical Association Redford, MI, USA
140 Prof. Michael Watkins Philosophy Auburn University Auburn, AL, USA
141 Prof. John Perry Philosophy Stanford University Stanford, CA, USA
142 Dr. Brian Schroeder Philosophy Skidmore College Saratoga Springs, NY, USA
143 Prof. Mark L McPherran Philosophy University of Maine - Farmington Farmington, ME, USA
144 Prof. S.R. Sreenivasan Astrophysics University of Calgary Calgary, AB, Canada
145 Dr. R. Dwayne Ramey Physics Pacific Code Works Santa Cruz, CA, USA
146 Prof. Sara Waller Philosophy Cal State Dominguez Hills Carson, CA, USA
147 Prof. Scott Rubarth Ancient Philosophy Rollins College Winter Park, FL, USA
148 Prof. Jonathan Westphal . Idaho State Univ. Pocatello, ID, USA
149 Prof. Dee Morgan Child and Family Studies Univ. of Montevallo; Dept. of Family & Consumer Sciences Montevallo, AL, USA
150 Dr. Ian Eagleson Philosophy . Pittsfield, MA, USA
151 Dr. Tim Rohrer Cognitive Neuroscience, Linguistics, PhilosophyInstitute for Neural Computation, Salk Insititute/UCSD San Diego, CA, USA
152 Dr. David Grinspoon Planetary Science Southwest Research Institute Boulder, CO, USA
153 Prof. Lorne Falkenstein Philosophy The University of Western Ontario London, Ontario, Canada
154 Erik Wielenberg Philosophy DePauw University Greencastle, IN, USA
155 Leonore Wigger Philosophy York University Toronto, Canada/Basel, Switzerland
156 Prof. Wendy Donner Philosophy Carleton University Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
157 Prof. Michael Silberstein Philosophy Elizabethtown College Elizabethtown, PA, USA
158 Dr. Xinli Wang Philosophy Juniata College Huntingdon, PA, USA
159 Dr. Harry P. Reeder Philosophy University of Texas at Arlington Arlington, TX, USA
160 Dr. Dan Zahavi Philosophy Danish Instute for Advanced Studies in the Humanities Copenhagen, Denmark
161 Prof. Elizabeth Brake Philosophy University of Calgary Calgary, AB, Canada
162 Dr. Iain Martel Philosophy University of Colorado Boulder, CO, USA
163 Prof. Lynne Rudder Baker Philosophy University of Massachusetts at AmherstAmherst, MA, USA
164 Prof. Richard M. Burian Philosophy and Science Studies Virginia Tech Blacksburg, VA, USA
165 Prof. Therese Bonin Philosophy Duquesne University Pittsburgh, PA, USA
166 Prof. Martin Schonfeld Philosophy, Environmental Science & PolicyUniversity of South Florida Tampa, FL, USA
167 Dr. Kay Toombs Philosophy Baylor University Waco, TX, USA
168 Dr. Irene J. Klaver Environmental Philosophy University of North Texas Denton, TX, USA
169 Dr. Harry Moore Philosophy, Ethics St. Gregory's University Shawnee, OK, USA
170 Prof. Louisa Moon Philosophy MiraCosta College Oceanside, CA, USA
171 Dr. W. Kent Wilson Philosophy Univ. of Illinois at Chicago Chicago, IL, USA
172 Prof. Joseph D. Sneed Philosophy Colorado School of Mines Golden, CO, USA
173 Dr. W. S. K. Cameron Philosophy Loyola Marymount Univ. Los Angeles, CA, USA
174 Prof. Eleanor Wittrup Philosophy University of the Pacific Stockton, CA, USA
175 Prof. Carl Ginet Philosophy Cornell University Ithaca, NY, USA
176 Prof. Berit Brogaard Philosophy Rochester Institute of Technology Rochester, NY, USA
177 Prof. Rory J. Conces Philosophy University of Nebraska at Omaha Omaha, NE, USA
178 Prof. Steven Hendley Philosophy Birmingham-Southern College Birmingham, AL, USA
179 Dr. Christopher Gilbert Philosophy Cuesta College San Luis Obispo, CA, USA
180 Dr. David Yount Philosophy Mesa Community College Mesa, AZ, USA
181 Prof. Bram van Heuveln Philosophy of Mind SUNY Oneonta Oneonta, NY, USA
182 Prof. Levi António Malho Philosophy of Science - Cosmology University of Porto Porto, Portugal
183 Prof. Nythamar de Oliveira Ethics and Political Philosophy Pontifical Catholic University Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil
184 Dipl.-Ing. Ziad Mahayni Philosophy Technical University of Darmstadt Darmstadt, Germany
185 Prof. Mark E. Eberhart Chemistry Colorado School of Mines Golden, Colorado, USA
186 Grant A. Marler Philosophy Claremont Graduate University Claremont, CA, USA
187 Prof. Denny Bradshaw Philosophy University of Texas at Arlington Arlington, TX, USA
188 Igor Douven Philosophy Utrecht University Utrecht, The Netherlands
189 Prof. Bettina Bergo Philosophy Loyola College Baltimore, Maryland, USA
190 Dr. J. C. Beall Philosophy University of Connecticut Storrs, CT, USA
191 Dr. Greg Restall Philosophical Logic Philosophy Department, Macquarie University Sydney, NSW, Australia
192 Dr. Constance Kagan Philosophy Center for Continuing Education Great Falls, VA, USA
193 Prof. Hilary Bok Philosophy Johns Hopkins University Baltimore, MD, USA
194 Prof. Murat Aydede Philosophy The University of Chicago Chicago, IL, USA
195 Dr. Randall L. Ridenour Philosophy Oklahoma Baptist University Shawnee, OK, USA
196 Prof. Gerald A. Press History of Ancient Philosophy Hunter College and CUNY Graduate CenterNew York, NY, USA
197 Dr. Stefan Boettcher Physics Emory University Atlanta, GA, USA
198 Prof. Charles Tandy Humanities, Interdisciplinary Philosophic StudiesFooyin Institute of Technology Ta-Liao, Kaohsiung Hsien, Taiwan ROC
199 Prof. David B. Malament Philosophy of Science University of California, Irvine Irvine, CA, USA
200 Carl M Brandauer . University of Colorado Boulder, CO, USA
201 Prof. John Protevi Philosophy LSU French Studies Baton Rouge, LA, USA
202 Prof. Jason Kawall Philosophy University of Tennessee at ChattanoogaChattanooga, TN, USA
203 Prof. Ned Block Philosophy New York University New York, NY , USA
204 Prof. Anthony Serafini Philosophy of Mind, History of ScienceCentenary College Hackettstown, NJ, USA
205 Donald Jenner Marketing & Management The City University of New York New York, NY, USA
206 Prof. John F. Hoffmeyer Theology The Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia Philadelphia, PA, USA
207 Prof. Frederick Ferré Metaphysics, Epistemology, Ethics University of Georgia Athens, GA, USA
208 Dr. Mohamed Elsayed Philosophy Minia University Minia, Egypt
209 Dr. York H. Gunther Philosophy Stanford University San Francisco, CA, USA
210 Prof. of Philosophy Bill MartinSocial Theory DePaul University Chicago, IL, USA
211 Dr. Michael D. Rohr Philosophy Rutgers University Newark, NJ, USA
212 Prof. Muhammad Legenhausen Philosophy of Religion The Imam Khomeini Education & Research Institute Qom, Iran
213 William Cornwell Philosophy University of Connecticut Storrs, CT, USA
214 Dr. Lawrence Poncinie Philosophy Northern Illinois University DeKalb, IL, USA
215 Prof. Shogo Inagaki Stellar Dynamics Kyoto University Kyoto, Japan
216 Prof. Daiichiro Sugimoto Astrophysics University of the Air Chiba, Japan
217 Dr. Luca Parisoli Philosophy and History of Law Centre de théorie du droit Paris, France
218 Oliver Zahn Physics University of Munich (LMU) Munich, Germany
219 Prof. Yvanka B. Raynova Philosophy Head of Contemp. European Philosophy Dept., Inst. for Philosophy, Bulgarian Academy of SciencesSofia, Bulgaria
220 Matthew Lister English Education/American Studies/PhilosophyRyazan State Pedagogical University/U.S. Peace CorpsRyazan, Russia
221 Dr. Valerie Gray Hardcastle Philosophy Virginia Tech Blacksburg, VA, USA
222 Kenneth Harnly Philosophy Reading Area Community College Manheim, PA, USA
223 Dr. Zdenek Matejka Aesthetics Mohawk College Hamilton, Canada
224 Prof. Ted Toadvine Philosophy Emporia State University Emporia, KS, USA
225 Prof. Dennis Patterson Law Rutgers University Camden, NJ, USA
226 Prof. Michael A. Simon Philosophy of Law, Philosophy of ScienceState University of New York at Stony BrookStony Brook, NY, USA
227 Prof. Mary McGreevy Psychology University of California, Berkeley Berkeley, CA, USA
228 Thomas Mueller Philosophy University of Freiburg Freiburg, Germany
229 Prof. David M. Rosenthal Philosophy, Cognitive Science Graduate Center, City University of New York New York, NY, USA
230 Brook J. Sadler Philosophy American Philosophical Association Durham, NC, USA
231 Dr. Gijsbert Beynen Philosophy Des Moines Area Community College Ankeny, IA, USA
232 Prof. Richard Doyle Evolution of Scientific Concepts Penn State University University Park, PA, USA
233 Prof. Eric Alliez Esthetics Akademie der Bildenden Küunste Vienna, Austria
234 Prof. William S. Robinson Philosophy Iowa State University Ames, IA, USA
235 Prof. Candice Shelby Philosophy University of Colorado at Denver Denver, CO, USA
236 Ben Eggleston Philosophy University of Pittsburgh Pittsburgh, PA, USA
237 Jeremy Rosenberg Anthropology Binghamton University Binghamton, NY, USA
238 Prof. Evan Thompson Philosophy Centre for Vision Research, York University North York, Canada
239 Dr. Michael Loenz Philosophy Ruhr-Kolleg Essen, Germany
240 Prof. Joe Frank Jones, III Philosophy Barton College Wilson, NC, USA
241 Prof. Kent Mathewson Geography Louisiana State University Baton Rouge, LA, USA
242 Prof. Jack Troy Ceramics Juniata College Huntingdon, PA, USA
243 Prof. Walter Lewin Astrophysics MIT Cambridge, MA, USA
244 Dr. Thomas Heyd Philosophy University of Victoria Victoria, Canada
245 Prof. Rudolf A. Makkreel Philosophy Emory University Atlanta, GA, USA
246 Mr. Dan Ryder Philosophy UNC Chapel Hill Chapel Hill, NC, USA
247 Dr. Daniel Eisenstein Astrophysics University of Chicago Chicago, IL, USA
248 Prof. Frederik Stjernfelt Literature, Philosophy University of Copenhagen Copenhagen, Denmark
249 Prof. R. Valentine Dusek Philosophy of Science University of New Hampshire Durham, NH, USA
250 Prof. Richard Healey Philosophy University of Arizona Tucson, Arizona, USA
251 Baron Reed Philosophy Brown University/Pomona College Claremont, CA, USA
252 Prof. Jennifer Lackey Philosophy Pomona College Claremont, CA, USA
253 Prof. Alicia R. Thompson Literature and Literary Criticism SUNY @ Delhi Delhi, NY, USA
254 Prof. David A. Truncellito Philosophy National Chung Cheng University Min-Hsiung, Taiwan
255 Dr. Mikhail Yu. Sergeev Religion, Philosophy University of the Arts Philadelphia, PA, USA
256 Dr. Kevin B. Korb Artificial Intelligence, Philosophy of Science Monash University Clayton, Australia
257 Prof. Nancy Stieber Art History University of Massachusetts Boston Boston, MA, USA
258 Dr. Eiichiro Kokubo Astrophysics Naotional Astronomical Observatory Tokyo, Japan
259 Prof. Jeffrey L. Powell Philosophy Marshall University Huntington, WV, USA
260 Prof. Kurt Mosser Philosophy The University of Dayton Dayton, OH, US
261 Zena Ryder Philosophy University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Chapel Hill, NC, USA
262 Paul McMahon Philosophy and Computer Science Binghamton University Binghamton, NY, USA
263 Prof. Mark Heller Philosophy Southern Methodist University Dallas, TX, USA
264 Gerry Reinhart-Waller Archaeology . Palo Alto, CA, USA
265 Dr. Steven Crowell Philosophy Rice University Houston, TX, USA
266 Prof. Eric Katz Philosophy New Jersey Institute of Technology Newark, NJ, USA
267 Dr. Marten van Kerkwijk Astronomy Astronomical Institute Utrecht, The Netherlands
268 Prof. Rebecca Kukla Philosophy Carleton University Ottawa, Canada
269 Prof. Anthony Beavers Philosophy The University of Evansville Evansville, IN, USA
270 Heike Jöns Science Studies, Geography University of Heidelberg Heidelberg, Germany
271 Prof. John Dupre Philosophy of Science University of Exeter Exeter, UK
272 Holly Hodder Earth and Planetary Sciences, Conservation & Ecological SciencesPublisher, Columbia University PressNew York, NY, USA
273 Dr. Laurie Anne Whitt Philosophy Michigan Technological University Houghton, MI, USA
274 Dr. Glenn McGee Bioethics, Philosophy University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia, PA, USA
275 Prof. Ruth Anna Putnam Philosophy Wellesley College Wellesley, MA, USA
276 Dr. Romeel Dave' Astrophysics University of Arizona Tucson, AZ, USA
277 Kendall D'Andrade Social and Political Philosophy, Public Policy. Chicago, IL, USA
278 Dr. Jack Russell Weinstein Philosophy California State University, Fresno Fresno, CA, USA
279 Prof. David Louzecky Philosophy University of Wisconsin Colleges Sheboygan, WI, USA
280 Dr. Mirek Giersz Astrophysics Nicolaus Copernicus Astronomical Center, Polish Academy of Sciences Warsaw, Poland
281 Prof. Kelly James Clark Philosophy Calvin College Grand Rapids, MI, USA
282 Dr. Andreas Urs Sommer Philosophy Ernst-Moritz-Arndt-Universität Greifswald, Germany
283 Dr. Colin Stark Geophysics Columbia University New York, NY, USA
284 Paul Weithman Philosophy University of Notre Dame Notre Dame, IN, USA
285 Dr. Alice Drewery Philosophy University of Reading Reading, UK
286 Prof. William A. Edmundson Legal and Political Philosophy Georgia State University Atlanta, GA, USA
287 Daniela Vorburger International Studies . Zuerich, Switzerland
288 Dr. Andrew Latus Philosophy Memorial University of Newfoundland St. John's, Canada
289 Dr. Christopher Fraser Philosophy Academia Sinica Taipei, Taiwan
290 Tammy Nyden-Bullock Philosophy Claremont Graduate University Claremont, CA, USA
291 Prof. Larry Kurtz Mathematics, Numerical Analysis University of Montevallo Montevallo, AL, USA
292 Prof. Francisco Varela Neuroscience CNRS Paris, France
293 Prof. Barbara Solheim Philosophy Harper College Palatine, IL, USA
294 Jack L Schriver . Vice President, Chief of Operations, SKC Gulf Coast, IncHouston, TX, USA
295 Prof. Philip Pearle Physics Hamilton College Clinton, NY, USA
296 Prof. James H. Swan Public Health Wichita State University Wichita, KS, USA
297 Michiharu Oshima Cognitive Science IRSI Austin, TX, USA
298 Prof. Avery Kolers Philosophy University of Louisville Louisville, KY, USA
299 Dr. Robert Barnard Philosophy University of Mississippi University, MS, USA
300 Prof. Mark LeBar Philosophy Ohio University Athens, OH, USA
301 Zac Cogley Philosophy University of Cincinnati Cincinnati, OH, USA
302 Dr. Chris Eliasmith Philosophy, Cognitive Science University of Waterloo Waterloo, Canada
303 Dr. Scott Carson Philosophy Ohio University Athens, Ohio, USA
304 Dr. John Vallerga Astrophysics Space Science Lab, University of California, BerkeleyBerkeley, CA, USA
305 Brian Henning Philosophy Fordham University Bronx, NY, USA
306 Prof. John W. Hoopes Anthropology University of Kansas Lawrence, KS, USA
307 Dr. David W. Shoemaker Philosophy California State University, NorthridgeNorthridge, CA, USA
308 Prof. Morton L. Schagrin Philosophy, History of Science SUNY at Fredonia Fredonia, NY, USA
309 Dr. Leslie MacAvoy Philosophy East Tennessee State University Johnson City, TN, USA
310 Prof. Reginald Lilly Philosophy Skidmore College Saratoga Springs, NY, USA
311 Dr. Raymond Miller Political Science, Justice Studies Lewis-Clark State College Lewiston, ID, USA
312 Dr. Moris Polanco Philosophy of Language, Philosophy of Logic, PragmatismUniversidad Francisco MarroquínGuatemala City, Guatemala
313 Prof. Michael Donnelly Sociology Bard College Annandale, NY, USA
314 Dr. Matias Zaldarriaga Astrophysics Institute for Advanced Study Princeton, NJ, USA
315 Dr. Benjamin Middaugh Music University of Montevallo Montevallo, AL, USA
316 James M. Jenks Computer Science, Philosophy Binghamton University Binghamton, NY, USA
317 Prof. S. George Djorgovski Astronomy Caltech Pasadena, CA, USA
318 Prof. George Allan Philosophy Dickinson College Carlisle, PA, USA
319 Phillip T. Barron Philosophy University of Massachusetts, AmherstSunderland, MA, USA
320 Sharmin Ghaznavi . Yale University New Haven, CT, USA
321 Prof. Nobuo Kazashi Philosophy Hiroshima City Universtiy Hiroshima, Japan
322 Prof. Philip Charles Astronomy University of Southampton Southampton, UK
323 Thomas Reydon Philosophy of Science Leiden University Leiden, The Netherlands
324 Prof. Nick Huggett . University of Illinois, Chicago Chicago, IL, USA
325 Prof. Mark A. Brown Logic Syracuse University Syracuse, NY, USA
326 Prof. Merold Westphal Philosophy Fordham University Bronx, NY, USA
327 Jane Hirshfield Poetry Bennington College Mill Valley, CA, USA
328 Dr. Mauricio Suarez Philosophy, History of Science Bristol University Bristol, UK
329 Keiichi Shimazaki Journalism in Publishing Editor in Chief, NTT Publishing Co. Tokyo, Japan
330 Dr. Ileen A. DeVault Industrial and Labor Relations Cornell University Ithaca, NY, USA
331 Patricia Ross Philosophy Minnesota Center for Philosophy of Science Minneapolis, MN, USA
332 Dr. Henry Jackman Philosophy York University Toronto, Ontario, Canada
333 Dr. Alistair Nelson Astrophysics Cardiff University Cardiff, UK
334 Prof. Eberhard Moebius Space Plasma Physics University of New Hampshire Durham, NH, USA
335 Sherri X. Zhu Philosophy USC LA, CA, USA
336 John Enslin Philosophy Boston College Chestnut Hill, MA, USA
337 Dr. J. C. Holbrook History of Astronomy University of California Los Angeles, CA, USA
338 Prof. Talat S. Rahman Theoretical condensed matter physicsKansas State University Manhattan, KS, USA
339 Prof. Keiichi Noe Philosophy Tohoku University Sendai, Japan
340 Prof. Hilary Kornblith Philosophy University of Vermont Burlington, VT, USA
341 Prof. Jennifer McErlean Philosophy of Science Siena College Loudonville, NY, USA
342 Dr. James Ladyman Philosophy University of Bristol Bristol, UK
343 Prof. Mary Gibson Philosophy Rutgers University New Brunswick, NJ, USA
344 Dr. Jeffrey McClintock Astrophysics Harvard-Smithsonian Center for AstrophysicsCambridge, MA, USA
345 Prof. A. Kartsonis Art History and Comparative ReligionUniversity of Washington Seattle, WA, USA
346 Prof. Roy Ascott Technoetic Art University of Wales Newport, UK
347 Bruce Damer Computer Science Director, Contact Consortium Scotts Valley, CA, USA
348 Prof. M. Norton Wise History of Science UCLA Los Angeles, CA, USA
349 Dooeun Choi . Curator, Digital Creativity Center Seoul, South Korea
350 Prof. Brian Moeran Social Anthropology Danish Institute for Advanced Studies in HumanitiesCopenhagen, Denmark
351 Fernando Fonseca New Media Bienal Atlantico Lisbon, Portugal
352 Prof. D. Hugo New Media Higher Institute for Fine Arts Antwerp, Belgium
353 Peter Anders Architecture Director, Mindspace.net Midland, MI, USA
354 Mohsen Shiri-Garakani Physics Georgia Institute of Technology Atlanta, GA, USA
355 Prof. Claudia Swan Art History, History of Science Northwestern University Evanston, IL, USA
356 Prof. Ryosuke Ohashi Philosophy Kyoto Institute of Technology Kyoto, Japan
357 Dr. Richard Preston Journalism Author, The New Yorker Magazine Princeton, NJ, USA
358 Dr. Derek Fox Astrophysics MIT Cambridge, MA, USA
359 Prof. Kelly Becker Philosophy Centre College Danville, KY, USA
360 Elga Patricia M. Ferreira Digital Arts Universidade Católica Porto, Portugal
361 Dr. Peimin Ni Philosophy Grand Valley State University Grand Rapids, MI, USA
362 Prof. George Clark Astrophysics MIT Cambridge, MA, USA
363 Prof. Edward Nelson Mathematics Princeton University Princeton, NJ, USA
364 Zann Gill Research Institute for Advanced Computer Science NASA Ames Research CenterMoffett Field, CA, USA
365 LTjg Jon R. Lindsay Naval Intelligence Naval Strike and Air Warfare Center Fallon, NV, USA
366 Jennifer S. Milligan History Rutgers University New Brunswick, NJ,
367 Prof. Ilundain Philosophy Truman State University Kirksville, MO, USA
368 Angela Hilton Philosophy 3D Laser Arts Atlanta, GA, USA
369 Prof. Nathan Tublitz Neuroscience University of Oregon Eugene, OR, USA
370 Andreas Blank Philosophy Humboldt University Berlin, Germany
371 Dr. Yoko Funato Astrophysics University of Tokyo Tokyo, Japan
372 Stephen Lake Philosophy Institute of Philosophy Leuven, Belgium
373 Dr. Rainer Spurzem Stellar Dynamics, Astrophysics Astronomisches Rechen-Institut Heidelberg, Germany
374 Robert Calabro Philosophy/History of Science Columbia University New York, NY, USA
375 Prof. Hal Abelson Computer Science MIT Cambridge, MA, USA
376 Dr. Darryl Scriven Philosophy & Religion Wilberforce University Wilberforce, OH, USA
377 Prof. Meinhard E. Mayer Mathematical Physics Univ. of California Irvine, CA, USA
378 Prof. Valerie I. J. Flint History of Ideas University of Hull Hull, UK
379 Prof. Barbara English History University of Hull Hull, UK
380 Dr. Wim van Driel Astronomy Paris Observatory Paris, France
381 Dr. Prem Poddar Postcolonial studies Danish Institute for Advanced Studies in Humanities Copenhagen, Denmark
382 Prof. Edward L. Chupp Astrophysics University of New Hampshire Durham, NH, USA
383 Kimberly Baltzer Philosophy/Phenomenology University of Waterloo Waterloo, Canada
384 Prof. Robert Fudge Philosophy James Madison University Harrisonburg, VA, USA
385 Prof. Kathryn V. Johnston Astrophysics Wesleyan University Middletown, CT, USA
386 Prof. Ewa Morawska Sociology and History University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia, PA, USA
387 Dr. Willfried Spohn Sociology European University Institute Florence, Italy
388 Prof. James J. Pearce Philosophy llinois Central College East Peoria, IL, USA
389 Prof. D. E. Stevenson Computer Science Clemson University Clemson, SC, USA
390 Prof. John M. Vickers Philosophy Claremont Graduate University Claremont, CA, USA
391 Prof. Rene Walterbos Astronomy New Mexico State University Las Cruces, NM, USA
392 Prof. Noam Chomsky Linguistics MIT Cambridge, MA, USA
393 Prof. Phillip Lopate Literature Hofstra University Hempstead, NY, USA
394 Prof. Philip Watts French Literature University of Pittsburgh Pittsburgh, PA, USA
395 Prof. Joshua E. Barnes Astrophysics Institute for Astronomy Honolulu, HI, USA
396 Leana M. Young . University of Texas @ San Antonio San Antonio, TX, USA
397 Prof. Mauri Valtonen Astronomy University of Turku Turku, Finland
398 Prof. Bruno Coppi Physics MIT Cambridge, MA, USA
400 Masahiko Morimoto Journalism Editor/Translator, Freelance Yamaguti Pref., Japan
401 Dr. Jonathan McDowell Astrophysics Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics Cambridge, MA, USA
402 Dr. Steven Fraser History . New York, NY, USA
403 Prof. Jeremy Goodman Astrophysics Princeton University Princeton, NJ, USA
404 Dr. Roman Scoccimarro Astrophysics Institute for Advanced Study Princeton, NJ, USA
405 Prof. Charles Alcock Astrophysics University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia, PA, USA



I support academic freedom and urge the IAS to let Prof. Hut keep his position.

Title
Name
Field of research (optional)
Organization
City
State (no ZIP)
Country
Email (optional)

If you gave your email address (there will be no spam), do you wish to be notified on the outcome of the court case?
Please enter any general comments here, including any information about yourself (e.g., honors, awards or positions held) that you feel helps Prof. Hut's case:

(The information is sent when you press OK.)



Your Comments

Many of those who signed the petition above wrote additional comments that did not fit in the name list above. Here is a sample:
Prof. S. George Djorgovski
Astronomy, Caltech, Pasadena, CA, USA
Prof. Hut is one of the universally acknowledged leaders in the field of computational stellar dynamics, as well as a man of an eclectic and effervescent mind. The action by the IAS is deeply troubling and regrettable, for many reasons.
Prof. Peter Klein
Philosophy, Rutgers University New Brunswick, New Jersey, pdklein@rci.rutgers.edu
I am full professor; I have been the chairperson of the Department of Philosophy for 15 years (spread over three times being chair); I have been the Vice Provost at Rutgers -- New Brunswick (NB) and Vice Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences (NB). In all of those positions I would have vigorously fought against an action like this by my university and the IAS should be ashamed of itself.
Prof. Ronald E. Purser
Management, San Francisco State University, San Francisco, CA, rpurser@sfsu.edu
I have known Piet Hut for seven years as both a colleague and friend. In all this time, he never once mentioned the predicament he was in, and simply worked diligently and long hours on his research. Piet Hut is also a man of high integrity, high standards, and high ideals. He is not swayed by public opinion or the pressures to conform to the dictates and convention of "normal science." I am appalled that an esteemed institution such as IAS/Princeton would resort to such strong-arm tactics to force out a tenured professor who has been continuously productive (over 100 publications!), and is highly regarded among his peers. It is simply unacceptable. Ronald Purser is Division Chair of the Organization Development and Change division of the Academy of Management. He is author of four books and over 60 articles in the area of organizational theory and design.
John Pang
Philosophy, University of California, San Diego La Jolla, CA, pang@ucsd.edu
I am a graduate student. I know I speak for many others who like me have benefitted immensely from our interaction with Professor Hut via the Kira Institute and the projects that the IAS has given the impression of finding vaguely discreditable. Piet is a superb mentor of young scholars with a unique ability to speak to their highest intellectual ideals. He has inspired people from disciplines as diverse as botany, architecture, philosophy, computing and physics (to name a few) to work on projects that demand not just application and rigor but also the difficult personal and intellectual skills of collaboration across disciplinary boundaries. This kind of work is not for the timid nor for the impatient to foster. Piet has brought generosity and virtuosity to it. Unlike, it would seem, the IAS, Piet is willing to suffer the embarrassment and take the time to formulate and pursue some very hard questions at the boundaries of the disciplines. It is tough to imagine what academics and academic institutions fear more than embarrassment; but Piet's questions will not go away with his removal, should the IAS succeed in its cowardly action against him. And the IAS will have besmirched its reputation and rid itself of an intellect as honest and fearless as it is bright.
Prof. Frank Verbunt
Astronomical Institute Utrecht, the Netherlands, verbunt@phys.uu.nl
Piet Hut has done outstanding work in studying the interaction of binary and cluster evolution, both by developing a state-of-the-art computer code for numerical simulations, and by investigating analytical approximations to the results of numerical calculations. The latter deepen our understanding of N-body dynamics.
Prof. Henk Barendregt
Foundations of Mathematics and Computer Science, Nijmegen University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands, henk@cs.kun.nl.
Member Academia Europaea. Member Royal Dutch Academy of Sciences Member SSQII.
I finds Piet Hut's quest for the foundation of mental experience challenging and important.
Prof. Mary Louise Gill
Classics, Philosophy, Ancient Science, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA, mlgill@pitt.edu
I am Professor of Classics, Philosophy, and History & Philosophy of Science, and resident fellow of the Center for Philosophy of Science at the University of Pittsburgh. In 1999-2000 I was a member of the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton (School of Historical Studies). During that year I had many valuable conversations with Professor Hut on philosophical topics that contributed quite directly to my current research project on Plato's later epistemology. In June 2000 I was also privileged to be part of a group that Professor Hut took to the Natural Science Museum in New York City, where he gave a fascinating presentation of his current research on the evolution of star clusters.
Prof. Dong Kwang Kim
Ethics, Political Philosophy, Greek Philosophy, Eastern Philosophy, Tokyo University of Social Welfare, Isesaki, Gunma, Japan, dkkim75@hotmail.com
I am an Assistant Professor of philosophy at Tokyo University of Social Welfare, Japan. From my experience, I can tell how egregiously the institutions we work for can sometimes encroach upon our freedom of expression and conscience including academic freedom. The unhappy situation Dr. Hut is caught in should be corrected by the solidarity of the academic community around the world.
Dr. Linda Kotzamanis
Philosophy. Lynn, MA, USA, phaedrus@worldnet.att.net
The argument presented above - that Dr.Hut has an impressive publication record THEREFORE he cannot have a substandard academic performance is not a good argument because as we all are aware - a lot of useless 'stuff' gets published and many academically astute persons do not publish. What should be stressed is the nature and scope of his publications (because I took the time to read some of them) which ARE both impressive and provocative.Too often,in academia, people who do not ascribe to the status quo are isolated and ostracized. Apparently we do not learn from history...if there is no academic freedom there can be no progress. We would still believe the earth is flat,that slavery is ordained, and that heretics should be eliminated. Of course by the present state of affairs I am not convinced that we have changed-except symptomatically. The more 'ivy league' an institution is - the less likely you will find any progressive ideas being introduced, there lies the rub. Having gone through at least some of Dr. Hut's papers I definitely feel this to be a breach of academic freedom.
Prof. Eugene F. Milone
Astronomy & Astrophysics, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada, milone@ucalgary.ca
I am Co-Director of the Rothney Astrophysical Observatory of the University of Calgary, and was Chair of the Scientific Organizing Committee of a conference held at the University of Calgary in June, 1995. Dr. Hut was a member of the Organizing Committee for that meeting and contributed in very important ways to the content and format of the meeting. I would like to make a general remark that the purpose of tenure is to insure academic freedom to persons whose preceding work merited the award of tenure. Dr. Hut maintains an active program in the field for which the award was made, according to his publication record, so it is difficult to see what grounds there could or should be to revoke it. It would seem that if there is concern about the level of performance, this ought to be addressed in the awarding of annual increments or salary increases, not in what appears to be a violation of academic freedom.
Prof. Shogo Inagaki
Stellar Dynamics, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
I have worked with Piet Hut. He was an excellent collaborator. I think that he is still continuing good research work.
Prof. Graham Parkes
Philosophy, University of Hawaii, Honolulu, HI, USA, parkes@hawaii.edu
I am familiar with that part of Professor Hut's research that deals with humanities and philosophy and contemplative practices, and judge it to be of the highest quality and of great value to the academic world and beyond.
Prof. Emeritus Joel I. Friedman
Philosophy, University of California, Davis, CA, USA, jifriedman@ucdavis.edu
Before my early retirement in 1994, I was a professor at UC Davis for nearly 30 years. Towards the end, I was a member of the Academic Freedom Committee at UC Davis, during the years 1992-94, and served as Chair of that committee during 1993-94. We handled a case similar in some respects to that of Prof. Piet Hut, so that I have some insight into his case at the IAS.
I also met Prof. Hut when I was a Visiting Fellow in the Philosophy Department at Princeton University, during the entire academic year 1998-99. I took him to be a very nice chap, with a wide open mind.
Looking at his lengthy publication record, it appears that in recent years, he has published a significant amount on philosophical topics in relation to physics (e.g., experience, the subject, consciousness, existence, etc.), and I suspect that this is what got him into trouble with some of his colleagues, and then the Trustees. But he also continues to publish in his specialties of astrophysics and supercomputing, so what are they griping about? In my opinion, it would be a violation of academic freedom to terminate a tenured professor for taking on new research interests outside his regular research specialties, especially if he continued to do good work in those specialties. The charge of ``substandard'' work in the new research area should be given little weight. In fact, doesn't tenure mean that a professor has acquired the privilege of doing substandard work even in his own specialties?
Prof. Tamar Szabo Gendler
Philosophy, Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY, USA, tgendler@syr.edu
I'm so sorry to hear about all of this.
Prof. Jonathan Westphal
Idaho State Univ., Pocatello, ID, USA, westjona@isu.edu
The burden of proof is very very high for an institution wishing to remove as tenured faculty member. The Institute has not publicly met this burden, and if it can it should have done so.
Prof. Bram van Heuveln
Philosophy of Mind, SUNY Oneonta, Oneonta, NY, USA, vanheub@oneonta.edu
Boy, what a mess!!
A few comments (for what they're worth. I'm only a lowly adjunct at a state school without any awards, honors, or special positions):
First, on the moral issues involved here: Obviously any restriction of academic freedom is a human and intellectual disgrace. I don't care what nasty personal conflicts or politics have been going on here, but if the IAS at any point limited academic freedom, they should be very, very ashamed, and publicly denounced.
Second, on the legal issues: It is clear that tenure should only be revoked under extreme circumstances. So, once again, I don't care what nasty politics has been going on here, but the IAS better have a very good reason for what they are trying to do to Prof. Hut.
Third, on the personal issues: Frankly, if Prof. Hut's own statements are accurate, I would get out of the IAS if I were him! Yes, if this is a case of a limitation of academic freedom, that should come out in the open. And yes, if the IAS is putting forth false allegations against Prof. Hut, Prof. Hut should defend himself in court. However, if Prof Hut's horror story is true, then, when all is said and done, and irrespective of the court's decision, I would pack my bags and leave. So, out of concern for the well-being of Prof. Hut himself, I actually don't know if I would urge the IAS to let Prof. Hut keep his position!!
Prof. Levi António Malho
Philosophy of Science - Cosmology, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal, kepler47@geocities.com
Freedom of research is a basic thing in a civilized society! We study "facts" because we just are curious to know "why"... Faraday did that with electricity and was not able to answer "what's that line of research for..."!!
Prof. John Protevi
Philosophy, LSU French Studies, Baton Rouge, LA, USA, protevi@lsu.edu
A lowly instructor, who can only hope to one day be protected by tenure, I am saddened by the actions of IAS and yet encouraged by the broad-based support for Professor Hut indicated on this page. I hope that he can find the energy and courage to continue to fight the good fight and to defend both tenure and intellectual freedom.
Donald Jenner
Marketing & Management, City University of New York, New York, NY, USA
The real problem here is not Hut's research (or lack of it). Nor is this about what the IAS holds as "received dogma" -- nutty or not, forward & edgy or not. It is IAS's inability to manage what they're about in effective and efficient ways. Not to get the agreement right was the sort of thing Kant called "der Mangel an Urteilskraft". If they didn't get it right, why should Hut abide it? Sadly, one wonders if some jumped-up pettifogger on a woolsack will be smart enough to get it...
Prof. Michael D. Rohr
Philosophy, Rutgers University, Newark, NJ, USA, rohr@andromeda.rutgers.edu
I have chaired a philosophy department for 9 years and have been a university senator for 7 years, serving as chair of the university senate's academic freedom committee during part of that time. I would have fought vigorously against an action like this by my university.
Prof. Daiichiro Sugimoto
Astrophysics, University of the Air, Chiba, Japan, sugimoto@u-air.ac.jp
I have worked with Piet Hut. He was an excellent collaborator. I think that he is still continuing good research work. Piet Hut encouraged and helped very much international collaboration in the field of gravitational many-body problem at the IAS and in other institutions. It motivated and encouraged my group to develop the world fastest dedicated computer GRAPE of 1 Tera-flops in 1995. Similar computers are now used worldwide. He is extending his work in this field and seeking for further steps of computational astrophysics. Such study and activities of Piet could fit to one of the important paradigms in IAS, if we look back von Neuman's performance at the IAS and his further contribution to the science world.
Something about myself: Former President of Int'l Astronomical Union Commission No.35, Former Councilor of Science Council of Japan, Former President of Astronomical Society of Japan, Laureate of Japan Academy Prize (1995), Professor Emeritus, the University of Tokyo.
Prof. Yvanka B. Raynova
Philosophy, Head of Contemp. European Philosophy Dept. - Institute for Philosophy, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Sofia, Bulgaria, raynova@europeanphilosophy.org
It is inadmissible to force an academic to work on a research topic and not on an other (like it was in communist times), and to force him to leave his position without telling him what was "wrong" and without serious evaluation! (http://raynova.europeanphilosophy.org/)
Prof. David M. Rosenthal
Philosophy & Cognitive Science, Graduate Center at City University of New York, New York, NY, USA, dro@ruccs.rutgers.edu
I am Professor of Philosophy and Coordinator of the CUNY Concentration in Cognitive Science at the CUNY Graduate Center. My main research has for some year been concerned with philosophical and interdisciplinary work on the nature of consciousness. Piet Hut's work in this area is highly important and influential
Prof. Alicia R. Thompson
Literature & Literary Criticism, SUNY @ Delhi, Delhi, NY, USA, Quinn@dmcom.net
Academic freedom remains an important bastion of hope in a fragmented and troubled global community. To block the road to possibilities and unimpeded visions is to inexhaustibly block human progress, growth, and development in every dimension!
Heike Jöns
Science Studies & Geography, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany, heike.joens@urz.uni-heidelberg.de
Sorry, I have no honors or awards yet, but as a graduate student working on academic mobility and international scientific collaboration I have two comments on Prof. Huts case: First, it is very valuable in my view that a renowned scientist participates in discussions on the philosophy of science. Why do research on science if you don't get a response from those who are practicing it every day? From my experience, it is NOT self-evident that - even renowned - scientists can make helpful comments on questions of the philosophy of science. They have to deal with these problems in detail and this takes time but can have important effects (see comments by philosophers on this page). Secondly, I really think that if someone is recognized for such an amount and variety of research as Professor Hut one should never take away his freedom of research and thus hinder creativity, because one never knows which important way it will open up - in astrophysics, in philosophy, in mathematics - wherever. Based on the information available in the Internet, I think that it is kind of embarrassing for the IAS trying to get rid of an obviously creative and productive professor. Instead, they could use Professor Huts high interdisciplinary reputation for promotion!
Kendall D'Andrade
Social and Political Philosophy & Public Policy, Chicago, IL, USA, dandradek@earthlink.net
All of the reports seem to agree that this is the first time that the IAS has tried to remove one of their professors. They also agree that Piet Hut was granted tenure as part of his appointment. And they seem to agree that, for some reason(s), IAS decided that Professor Hut was not "working out". Presumably this means that something was anticipated at the time of appointment that did not happen. Whether this was that Professor Hut's reputation would achieve certain qualities, that others would have certain opinions of him and his work, that others would respond to him, his work, and his membership in the IAS, or some other expectations, it appears that IAS in effect made a bet they now wish they had not made. And while we may sympathize with them for having made what they now regard as a bad investment, the very nature of investing is that the returns are not guaranteed! Were this an ordinary commercial transaction, one would simply say to IAS, "You need to be more careful about your commitments." But *not* that their mistake justifies anything less than full compliance with their original contract. This much is easy, and obvious. What is much more disturbing from a social policy perspective is what seems to be admitted by all parties: that IAS found itself unhappy with a contract it had no legal means of evading, so it resorted to using its considerable power advantage to pressure Professor Hut to modify the contract to his own disadvantage. Whether or not they succeeded is irrelevant; they should never have tried. Let us assume that Professor Hut's work is nothing like what was expected. How is this relevant? No tenure that I know of states that a person receiving tenure is required to produce work in a certain field, that the work be received in a specified way, or that the result of that work has any specifiable consequences. Were tenure to be modified in that way, it would provide far less protection for the tenured person than is ordinarily assumed. In particular, it would shift the burden of proof from the institution to the tenured person! If the IAS wants to begin instituting this much less desirable type of tenure, then they may try offering it to "new hires." Whether this new form of tenure is better for IAS, for the "tenured" professor, or even for our society generally, none of these considerations can change the existing arrangements between the two contracting parties, here the IAS and its professors. That the IAS, an institution widely regarded as in the forefront of academia, should decide to follow some of the poorest of corporate practices is a very bad sign. So far as I know, IAS could afford to write off Professor Hut as a bad investment, seek out another who they hope will do for them what they hoped Professor Hut would when they hired him. In the worst case, they are out about a sixth of a million a year, and with nothing to show for it. From reports by others who can evaluate his work, things are not even that bad. But even if Professor Hut went his own way, who can say what might come of it? That's the nature of a decision under uncertainty (which is what almost all of our decisions are).
Prof. James H. Swan
Public Health & Health Services Research, Wichita State University, Wichita, KS, USA, swan@chp.twsu.edu
I have been involved in fighting attacks on science by the creationists and Intelligent Design gurus; but I support academic freedom first. In fact, I have the example at my own university of a tenured faculty member who is a young-earth-creatist, very involved in pushing that view politically, and involved in the campaign of a creationist state Board of Education member. As much as I abhor his views and his political activities, I still support his academic freedom and would fight any attempt to take away his tenure based on his politics. I have seen the horrible outcomes where tenure does not exist or is not respected in higher education. We must defend the academic freedom and the tenure system.
Prof. Philip Charles
Astronomy, University of Southampton, Southampton, Hampshire, UK, pac@astro.soton.ac.uk
As an observer of interacting binaries in globular clusters I have known of Prof Hut's work for many years and have always held it in the highest regard. People of his standing must have the freedom to develop ideas without the constraints that IAS are trying to impose. The behaviour of the IAS in this case is in my view a disgrace.
Prof. Mark A. Brown
Logic, Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY, USA
IAS evidently has not made anything like an adequate case publicly. This is disappointing behaviour on their part, to put it mildly.
Prof. Eberhard Moebius
Space Plasma Physics, University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH, USA, eberhard.moebius@unh.edu
I am troubled by what I see here. I have been pointed to Prof. Hut's case through my own involvement in interdisciplinary outreach and teaching at my institution, the University of New Hampshire. I am Prof. in Physics and the Institute for the Study of Earth, Oceans and Space. I have my field of research, but I view my task also to be active in education and to look beyond the rim of specific fields. Looking over Prof. Hut's activities, publications, and comments from valued colleagues I can only see an excellent career at a constant strong pace, with no slowdown, no break. The only notable shift over time is the broadening into interdisciplinary activities, a much needed counteraction in our time of working in narrow trenches. Even putting any discussions aside on whether this could be the reason for what we see here or not, the attempt to revoke tenure by any means is a very serious matter in itself. Tenure was meant to provide the opportunity to pursue research, teaching and outreach into the community in fields that are deemed important by the bearer of tenure. If that is true no more, a very important freedom in our culture is in jeopardy. Of course, one can debate, whether this freedom should come with the full financial security for a lifetime, but this is a different discussion that needs to be fought out separately.
Prof. Talat S. Rahman
Theoretical condensed matter physics, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS, USA, rahman@phys.ksu.edu
As former president of faculty senate at Kansas State University, I have had plenty of exposure to the willingness and desire of university administrators to find ways to get rid of tenure so they can weed out faculty whose thinking and actions they cannot control. This is precisely the reason tenure was enacted long back. Together with several others, I have been involved for a long time in providing an alternative to post-tenure review that legislature in several states had tried to impose on faculty in their public universities. In the end we were able to convince the local university administration that we are better off without post-tenure reviews. The compromise was not ideal (a set of performance standards) but it was better than the alternative. Looks like the IAS is trying to take the lead on how to get rid of tenure. This is outrageous and we have to fight it all the way. Count me in.
Prof. Roy Ascot
Technoetic Art, University of Wales, Newport, UK, roy.ascott@newport.ac.uk
As former President of Ontario College of Art, Vice President of the San Francisco Art Institute, and Professor of Communication Theory at the Hochschule fuer Angewante Kunst in Vienna, and now Professor in the UK, directing a university centre involving researchers based in many parts of the Americas, Europe and the Far East, I think I can claim a somewhat global perspective on academic practice in relation to research and the pursuit of knowledge. I have never come across such an arrant breach of academic freedom in any of the countries with I am associated. That the IAS should be perpetrating such a base injustice is deeply shocking. To be hounding Piet Hut in this way - a man of such intellectual distinction and brilliant inter-disciplinary vision - is nothing less than immoral.
Dr. Alistair Nelson
Astrophysics, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK, nelsona@cf.ac.uk
The breadth and depth of Piet Hut?s publication record in Astrophysics speaks for itself. His contributions to N-body gravitational simulations and the theory of stellar clusters has been seminal. In my own field, the simulation of self-gravitating gas in star-formation and galaxy-formation, his development of the Tree-code gravity algorithm along with Joshua Barnes has revolutionised the subject. This technique has made the realistic simulation of the formation of these structures possible for the first time. The idea that Piet Hut is not a worthy member of faculty at the IAS is laughable.
Prof. Claudia Swan
Art History, History of Science, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA, c-swan@nwu.edu
As an academic in pursuit of tenure and a former member at the IAS (1998-1999), I'm deeply disappointed to learn of this case. Under other circumstances, the IAS would be the first to advertise its position as emblematic of the productivity true academic freedom can enable. The fact that its agents are attempting to annul the guarantee of that freedom in Piet Hut's case is disgraceful. (I assume, in my reading of the matter, that the IAS failed to satisfy the terms of an initial agreement with Hut; in any case, however, it's obvious that conditions for granting tenure need to be applied before and not after tenure has been awarded!) For further commentary, I refer to Kendall D'Andrade's comments, above.
Dr. Richard Preston
Journalism, Author, The New Yorker Magazine, Princeton, NJ, USA
I am a bestselling U.S. author (``The Hot Zone'', ``The Cobra Event'') and I write frequently about science for The New Yorker magazine. My Ph.D. is in English Literature from Princeton University. I have received numerous awards and honors in writing, science, and public policy. I serve on the Academic Advisory Council to the Dept. of Astrophysical Sciences at Princeton. As an American author privileged under the U.S. Constitution, I support the principle of freedom of expression. Scientists must be free to express themselves just as much as poets and playwrights. Piet Hut's legal troubles are very much about freedom of expression. It seems to me that Albert Einstein could have been fired from the Institute for Advanced Study on grounds that his later work was ``nonproductive''. John von Neumann could have been fired for asking for an expensive computer (as Professor Hut allegedly did; Science, Oct. 27, 2000). The Institute has adopted a tenure system and should live with it or change the policy, not alter the rules secretly and then apply the altered rules only to Piet Hut. There is a fundamental unfairness here, and I predict that the courts will find that the 1996 ``agreement'' forced on Professor Hut is unenforceable. Meanwhile, this lawsuit is highly damaging to the Institute's public image and fundraising efforts. One cannot understand how the IAS Trustees and legal counsel could have been unwise enough to allow this suit to go forward in the first place.
Dr. Derek Fox
Astrophysics, MIT, Cambridge, MA, USA, derekfox@space.mit.edu
Prof. Hut is a world leader in the field of computational astrophysics, as any review of the literature (past or current) will indicate. The expansion of his research interests to encompass theories of consciousness -- an area surely destined to attract increasing scientific attention in the decades to come -- would reflect very well on the free and open atmosphere of the IAS, if its leadership would only let it.
Zann Gill
Research Institute for Advanced Computer Science, NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA, sgill@mail.arc.nasa.gov
I met Piet Hut at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton and subsequently attended the conference of the Kira Institute of which he is a key organizer, about which I reported back to RIACS and NASA Ames as follows (excerpt):
``The Kira Institute attracted a truly amazing cross-disciplinary collection of brilliant students, who came from all over the world to attend this two-week event (Japan, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Portugal, Germany, etc.) There were approximately forty participants in a single track, sharing their ideas from different disciplines on big philosophical questions. The event offered the following lessons relevant for a NASA Think Tank:
- Keeping the agenda of the Think Tank broad. It is important that the NASA Think Tank span the full spectrum from practical next generation tools and methods to philosophical ideas. Kira represented the philosophical end of the spectrum and showed how valuable such an event can be to spark new insight.
- Keeping participation in the Think Tank diverse. This conference experience made me realize how much younger people have to contribute, particularly since we aim to conceive of new ideas; it is important to have avenues to enlist this range of participation.''
Piet Hut is clearly a courageous leader, an intellectual risk-taker and magnet for the intellectually curious in such a range of disciplines that one cannot question his contribution to society and the valuable role that the Institute for Advanced Study will play in providing him a base from which to carry out his cross-disciplinary work.
LTjg Jon R. Lindsay
Naval Intelligence, Naval Strike and Air Warfare Center, Fallon, NV, USA, jlindsay@stanfordalumni.org
Intelligence Officer at the Naval Strike and Air Warfare Center (TOPGUN). I have a BS in Symbolic Systems and an MS Computer Science from Stanford University. Professor Hut has been an important example of interdisciplinary excellence, equally comfortable discussing astrophysics or Husserlian phenomenology, and inspiring great interest in both. As someone outside of academia, I am particularly shocked that it could betray someone who so exemplifies the highest principles of relentless curiosity, solid mentorship, and unflinching freedom. As a military professional, it is just these principles that I find worthy of the most serious defense.
Dr. Rainer Spurzem
Stellar Dynamics, Astrophysics, Astronomisches Rechen-Institut, Heidelberg, Germany, spurzem@ari.uni-heidelberg.de
I am researcher and lecturer for Astrophysics at the University of Heidelberg, Germany. For more than ten years we have been cooperating with the colleagues of the University of Tokyo and our GRAPE computer (special purpose supercomputer for the simulation of self-gravitating particle systems) was one of the first in Germany and Europe. I firmly believe that Computational Astrophysics (as well as Physics) should be seen as a separate scientific methodology on equal level with theory and observation or experiment. For me it is very clear that Piet Hut played a pivotal role for getting the GRAPE project started.
But this is only one of his many achievements in sciences in general and astrophysics in particular. Having read many of the previous supporting statements for Piet's work I feel that I should not further elaborate on that. Instead a more personal story. During the time of oy Phd study in the 80's at the University of Goettingen I was stunned at the fact nearly all important papers I studied seemed to be related to two scientists, one being Piet, the other being here on his supporter list. Many of the important papers I had to study that time, were either authored by Piet or the authors expressed gratitude for the ideas or important input. That illustrates what others have expressed here as the scientific leadership of Piet in the field, which goes even beyond the written record of his publications.
I have never had the luck to directly cooperate with Piet; so I consider myself as rather personally unbiased in the matter, but certainly I am strongly biased with respect to our common research fields, the astrophysics, computational physics, and theoretical physics of star clusters, for which Piet has contributed so much.
But what is really sinistre and strange in this matter is not so much much (in my view) the scientific aspect. What worries me very much is the unacceptable way responsibility and faith of an employer, the IAS towards its employee (even if tenured faculty members are not a standard employee) have been neglected.
Even if, for whatever debatable scientific reasons, the IAS believes Piet Hut has not fulfilled its expectations, it would be unacceptable to make him sign some letters accepting to leave without urging him to seek legal advice in such an important matter. To neglect this is even more grave in the case of a tenured scientist. As many of the other supporting notes pointed out the institute in such a case has a certain risk but also a responsibility.
Prof. Valerie I. J. Flint
History of Ideas, University of Hull, Hull, UK, val@newbegin.karoo.co.uk
I have a great respect for the Institute, but my recent experience as visitor there has shown me that communication with the administration can be poor, especially when there is potential for dispute. It is tempting in such circumstances to substitute pressure for communication. This is never acceptable, and is a great abuse of power when the institution is an eminent one. In the matter of tenure, perhaps the Institute feels it made a mistake. It should, then, have been more careful in the first place. As matters stand, its duty is to honour its original commitment.
Prof. Barbara English
History University of Hull, Hull, UK, benglish@newbegin.karoo.co.uk
On the evidence presented in the web sites, this appears to be an attempt to breach an established tenure by pressurising a single individual, a matter which is of grave concern to the academic community, and should be resisted vigorously. The IAS, if anywhere in the world, should be the defender of 'blue sky' research.
Prof. Edward L. Chupp
Astrophysics, University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH, USA, elc@cisunix.unh.edu
I have read Dr. Hut's statement on the WEB and statements by several colleagues whom I highly respect. This is a shameful action by the IAS and it is unbelievable that they would take such action. There is absolutely no question that Dr. Hut's tenure be preserved! He deserves it from at least his outstanding contributions to Astrophysics and much more.
Dr. Wim van Driel
Astronomy, Paris Observatory, Paris, France, Director of the Nancay Radio Observatory
Having seen Piet Hut's scientific accomplishments, the lawsuit filed against him seems ludicrous to me; tenure is tenure and he deserves to keep it.
Prof. Hal Abelson
Computer Science, MIT, Cambridge, MA, USA, hal@mit.edu
The IAS has damaged itself considerably by this foolhardy action, and is demonstrating to the world that its tenure commitments are not to be trusted. Hopefully, the IAS will come to its senses, before the damage becomes irremediable.
Prof. D. E. Stevenson
Computer Science, Clemson University Clemson, SC, USA, steve@cs.clemson.edu
Computational science is now acknowledge to be the third leg of the scientific method. It has been a long time coming and many older scientists refuse to acknowledge the role of computing. Because it is resource intensive, great pressure exists to not follow this path. We've all seen these tactics before.
Prof. Rene Walterbos
Astronomy, New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, NM, USA, rwalterb@nmsu.edu
I was a Member of the School of Natural Sciences at the Institute for Advanced Study in 1986-87, a period during which I learned to know Piet Hut and his work. I think there is no question that his research in Astrophysics has been excellent. The tactics used to revoke his tenure are highly questionable and unwarranted. I have been Department Head of the Astronomy Department at New Mexico State since 1996, and have supported tenure requests for several faculty. Never have I experienced actions such as currently undertaken by the Institute for Advanced Study in revoking someone's tenure.
Prof. Mauri Valtonen
Astronomy, University of Turku, Turku, Finland, mavalto@astro.utu.fi
The news that the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton would let go one of their most distinguished members, Professor Piet Hut, came as great surprise to me. From my own research point of view, IAS = Professor Hut. Just when this news arrived, I had spent a week going through his papers on the three-body problem for a chapter in the book. His papers on this topic have been a great source of inspiration to me and to everybody else working in this research area, and I am sure that his contributions in this area will be appreciated and referred to for decades to come. If Prof. Hut's association with IAS is discontinued, it is a sad occasion for IAS indeed. I started working on the three-body problem as a student at Cambridge and have since then written many contributions to this field, including a number of review papers. Prof. Hut's contributions have always had a central role in those reviews.
Prof. Jeremy Goodman
Astrophysics, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA, jeremy@astro.princeton.edu
I have worked with Piet on occasion, and I believe that he has made significant and creative contributions to dynamical astrophysics. The Institute clearly wishes it had appointed a stronger scientific leader, but (as far as I can discern the facts) the means by which it has attempted to undo its own commitments are indefensible.
Last updated November 10, 2000.
If you have corrections, suggestions, questions or comments that you don't want to have posted here, you can contact us at hutcoll@yahoo.com.

Return to petition