A Belgian university’s philosophy department has raised concerns over the appointment of a controversial academic, alleging he lacks the necessary expertise for his postdoctoral role and warning his hiring could have a "negative impact." The objections, submitted in a detailed statement to university leadership, question whether the candidate was the strongest choice for the position focused on liberalism. The controversy follows the academic’s public dispute with another scholar over allegations of plagiarism, while critics also accuse him of promoting a "far-right agenda." University officials are now reviewing the claims after the appointment was secured earlier this year.
Allegations Nathan Cofnas was unqualified for Ghent role and would cause ‘negative impact’ made to senior leaders months agoNathan Cofnas, the academic who accused Jason Arday of plagiarism, has been accused of having “very limited expertise” for his academic role by professors also working at Ghent University, who say he has a “far-right agenda”.Cofnas secured a postdoctoral research role “on the future of liberalism” at Belgium’s Ghent University in March. Weeks later, Ghent’s department of philosophy and moral sciences handed a 19-page statement to university officials, setting out why it believed it was “improbable” that Cofnas was the best candidate. Continue reading...
