At long last, amidst all the heat about the political correctness and the canon, comes Simon's reasoned argument for a notion of institutional neutrality. Simon reminds us how academic debates on these matters should take place. Simon's balanced scholarship is evidenced in his selection of readings, some of which support and some of which oppose his position.

Norman E. Bowie, University of Minnesota

The essay by Henry Aiken and Sidney Hook's pull-no-punches response concerning general education are particularly exciting.

Ethics: An International Journal of Social, Political, and Legal Philosophy

It is often argued that universities should not aspire to neutrality because neutrality is impossible. Robert Simon's Neutrality and the Academic Ethic shows that those who make this claim fail to distinguish between several conceptions of neutrality and that, properly understood, neutrality is both possible and desirable. His defense of 'institutional critical neutrality' is extraordinarily clear and eminently sensible. He brings genuine philosophical rigor to bear on a debate that has suffered from confusion and bad faith. The selected readings that accompany his essay should provide a good basis for discussion. The book should be required reading for any course in the ethics of higher education.

Alan Wertheimer, The University of Vermont