Why are we whispering? Academic freedom in Australia: An arendtian analysis

Abstract

The less-tidy aspects of political life—irreducible differences and recurring struggle; continual flux and impermanencc; restlessness and lack of transparency—have always occasioned trepidation and scorn among those who approach politics with a certain desire for order and fastidiousness of mind. The immediate inclination of those unnerved by the tumult of politics is to seek way of organizing institutions, relationships and understandings so as to provide some degree of peace and quiet for the common life. For those who recognize these disorderly qualities as belonging irredeemably to the very nature of political practice and freedom, such attempts to establish harmony are the cause of a great many misunderstandings and problems, including an all-too-common predisposition to authoritarianism and a deep suspicion of and hostility towards democracy. Lawrence J. Biskowski, 1998.