I think that academic freedom is a service to all constituents of a society. If scholars are not able to freely pursue true answers to questions, then everyone in society is deprived of accurate information, which may well lead to governmental control of what is "true" and "false" (a la Orwell's 1984 and what many think Donald Trump would like to do with information control).

Dear Oum Ben Hassine,

Let me start by saying that your question -- Is academic freedom at the service of interests of only the academics? -- is a pertinent question.

I think that Academia's and academics' mission or goal is mainly to look for the unknown and an ever increasing knowledge of reality whatever. Because of this, academic freedom, autonomy and independence should be the founding principles of the University.

If this were not the case, then scientists and researchers could not freely pursue for the true in any domain of knowledge and look for answers to the "irritating" questions they generally raise, that is, questions whose answer leads them to a better knowledge of the unknown.  It would be a sad reality if universities were under any religious or political control. Galileo's is a telling example in this respect.  As I see it , it makes sense to speak of particular religions, such as Christianity and Islam, and some economic-political ideologies, capitalism and socialism, for example.

It would be nonsensical, however, to speak of a Christian or Islamic science, as well as a social democratic science,  just to give some examples. Scientific findings are universal, not USA, Tunisian, or Portuguese. Of course, we can speak of Portuguese, Tunisian, or USA scientists and researchers. However, when a scientist or researcher advances, for example, a new theory in any domain of knowledge, the theory belongs to humakind, not to Portugal, Tunisia, or the USA.

It is often the case that goverments provide Universities with financial support.  This funding, however, should be seen as a means to allow universities, academics, and researchers to freely pursue their legitimate research interests whille looking for the true, the good and the beautiful.

I hope I has got your question, and that this hepls.

Orlando

Thank you, Pr Orlando M Lourenço, for your good appreciation of the question that I asked. Coming from you, Professor Emeritus in Devepomental Psychology, this fills me with joy.

I fully agreed with your relevant analysis. For me, academic freedom is a fundamental right that guarantees academic institutions the performance of their duties without undue interference by government, political parties, religious power, trade unions and any other lobby or corporatism.

But I understand the fear of some colleagues, especially those from countries where the development of higher education is relatively new and where the University lacks traditions in the areas of deontology and ethics..

Thus, in 2011, the Arab Spring enabled the Tunisian university to have full autonomy and practically complete independence. However, government interference was replaced by that of trade union lobbies, represented by the academics themselves.

Since then, unionization has reached its peak at the Tunisian University, where elections to university structures depend on trade union instructions and the promotions of teachers are based on criteria other than scientific merit.

This hinders the independence of academics and threatens the very foundations of academic freedom, that require to foiling of "not only political and administrative power, but also any" temporal "power, whatever its nature, origin or the mask. "(Georges Vedel in Beaud, 2009),

This interference by the union lobby has led to a diversion of the sense of academic freedom, created a serious problem of governance and a situation of drift, skidding and degradation.

To understand the extent of the degradation of our university I refer you to an article (sorry in french) that I published this year (in attached file).

Oum Kalthoum

Academic freedom co-exists with freedom of speech and expression, otherwise known as free speech.

One cannot exist without the other.

Freedom refers not only to academics but to everyone in society.

When freedom is restricted, it affects everyone in society, including academics.

Thank you Dr Chia Lin Chang for your contribution. However, this is not freedom in the absolute but academic freedom.

Dear Oum Kalthoum Ben Hassine:

Thank you for your helpful response.

I thought I had covered both general and academic freedom in my Answer to your interesting Question.