Eysenck the terrible
Sir: I must write to protest about a passage in Professor Eysenck's review of the latest Ivan Illich book (January 11). Not that I disagree with his views about that fashionable guru. But your reviewer smuggled in a parenthesis saying that we can blame ourselves for health troubles because, inter alia, we don't stop smoking. Nothing wrong with that, you might say. Except that Professor Eysenck has been a notorious propagandist on the subject and has actually written a book not long ago denouncing the view that smoking caused lung cancer. He is entitled to change his mind, of course; but only if he comes clean and publicises the fact that his arguments in favour of smoking (which may well have done a lot of harm) are all wrong. But to use the vehicle of a Spectator review to smuggle in a parenthesis like this is quite deplorable cynicism.
As readers may recall, he was the victim at LSE of a vicious attack by student thugs who would not let him speak on a racial subject. Subsequently, a socialist student friend of my son had the honour of leading the campaign against this thuggery and, I am glad to say, proposed a resolution in favour of free speech which was overwhelmingly supported. But if professors condemn student hooligans, as they should, the reverse side of the coin is surely that the teachers will show their students that they themselves are at least honest and sincere in their views. What will the students at LSE think now when they see this quite disgraceful conduct exposed in this letter? They certainly will see it.
L. E. Weidberg 14 Templewood Avenue, London NW3
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