Neutrality and Impartiality: The University and Political Commitment - Tapa dura

First published in 1975, this is a book of general intellectual interest about the role of the university in contemporary society and that of university teachers in relation to their subjects, their students, and their wider political commitments. Alan Montefiore offers preliminary analyses of the family of concepts most often invoked in discussions of these problems, taking the central dispute to be between those who hold a 'liberal' view of the university and those who regard this notion as illusory, dishonest or undesirable. Six academics, representing, discuss issues of substantive conflict in light of Montefiore's initial distinctions. The volume is of particular interest to students of political and social philosophy, and political and educational theory. It is also intended for a wider readership among those who care about the political status of the universities and recognize the importance and difficulty of the problems involved in this.

Santa Montefiore is the author of -->The French Gardener", -->The Perfect Happiness", and many other novels that have been translated into twenty languages and have sold more than three million copies worldwide. She studied Spanish and Italian at Exeter University. She lives in London with her husband, historian Simon Sebag-Montefiore, and their two children.? Visit her website www.santamontefioreauthor.com, friend her on Facebook, and follow her on Twitter.

Andrew Graham is adjunct professor, School of Policy Studies, Queen's University. He also served as a public servant for over thirty years and as an assistant deputy minister for over fourteen of those years.

Leszek Kolakowski (1927-2009) was professor of philosophy at the University of Warsaw until the Polish political crisis of March 1968 when he was formally expelled. Hethen moved to universities inNorth America and the United Kingdom.From 1981 to 1994 he was a professor in the Committee on Social Thought andthe department of philosophy at the University of Chicago. He is best known for his critical analyses of Marxist thought, especially his three-volume history, "Main Currents of Marxism" (1976). In his later work, he increasingly focused on philosophical and religious questions. He was the author of numerous books.

Charles Taylor is Professor Emeritus of Philosophy at McGill University.