Rethinking academic freedom

Abstract

The new media offer a valuable tool to spread the results of academic research outside the boundaries of academia, but they can also have a chilling effect on academic freedom. In this paper, I argue that we need to rethink academic freedom in the light of the enormous changes in communication and dissemination of ideas provided by the new media. I also argue that we need to develop strategies that would help us best use the potential of the Internet, while limiting as much as possible its potential threats to academic freedom.