1. Justice after September 11th
- Author
-
Katz, Stanley N.
- Abstract
Like many of us, Stanley Katz will always remember exactly where he was and what he was doing on the morning of 9-11 as we all watched American life as we had known it implode before our eyes. Here, Katz reflects upon his experiences of the day and how difficult it was to know what students were thinking or feeling about the events. He writes that the worst damage for him was that his moral universe had been rendered dysfunctional. He admits to a certain amount of envy for those who seem to have come through the experience with renewed confidence in justice, humankind, God, and the United States. Katz does say, however, that, despite his dark thoughts, he discovered being a university teacher at such a time was a tremendous consolation because he had many people to discuss the crisis with and found it especially helpful to engage students in discussion, although he confesses that he was disappointed that there was not more contention and discourse. Still, he supposes that the silence notwithstanding, there must surely exist some deep and widespread damage among students. Still reeling from the events of 9-11, he managed to pull himself together to deliver a keynote address before the Texas A&M colloquium entitled "What Would It Mean to be a 'Just' University." Katz distinguished between procedural justice in the university (being fair to individuals who work in, for, and with the university) and substantive justice (behaving justly in and to the larger society). He acknowledged the longstanding dispute between those who have wanted the universities to speak and act justly on the "big" issues (such as war), and those who have made cogent and reasonable arguments to the contrary. Reflecting on the events of 9-11, he concluded his address by saying that if universities are to be just in substantive educational purposes, the first responsibility is to be just in the teaching of students and to inculcate in them the capacity to determine what, by their own lights, defines justice. As a teacher, Katz says he cannot think of a more urgent or welcome challenge than to try to work this nightmare through with his students.
- Published
- 2004