PRINCETON, NJ (July 28, 2011)—The National Association of Scholars (NAS) found itself in an unusual spotlight after learning that Anders Behring Breivik, the Norwegian mass killer, mentioned the scholarly organization in his 1,500-page manifesto.
Peter Wood, NAS president, said, “We stand in horror of the murders in Oslo and are perturbed that the killer referred to the NAS in his declaration, in a section he plagiarized from the 2004 book Political Correctness: A Short History of an Ideology. We have no affiliation with Breivik and are appalled by his crimes.”
“Breivik cites with evident approval criticisms that NAS has made of political correctness. We stand behind our views on this topic, and note that Breivik also cited authorities ranging from Charles Darwin to Edmund Burke and Cardinal Newman.”
President Wood continued, “NAS exists to help civilization flourish by the cultivation of our minds and character. We treasure human life and dignity. Our commitment to reasoned scholarship and civil debate stems from our recognition of each person’s worth. We mourn with the families who lost loved ones last week.”
Peter Wood responded to the manifesto in an article, “Madness and Civilization,” in the Chronicle of Higher Education’s Innovations blog.
The National Association of Scholars (NAS) works to improve American higher education by expanding intellectual standards and institutional transparency and defending academic freedom in colleges and universities. To learn more about NAS, visit www.nas.org.
CONTACT:
Peter Wood, President, NAS: 609-683-7878; nasonweb@nas.org
####
