Nathan Cofnas: Can You Believe the Chutzpah ...

 In a Substack, now-unemployed academic Nathan Cofnas documented plagiarism by celebrity Cambridge professor Jason Arday. He also challenged the biography Arday presented about himself. That probably set in play the pressure on Arday to resign. Not long after he died in what is speculated to be suicide.

Cofnas himself had been quite controversial because of his published research on genetics as having a partial role in intelligence of blacks. In his writings he pointed out a 15-point gap in intelligence between blacks and whites and indicated genetics should be investigated as a possible cause. 

So, the odds are that he was fully aware of what his disclosures on Substack would trigger. Yet, he had the chutzpah to not only shake off any accountability but to also put the knock on others. "Chutzpah" is a Yiddish term denoting wild arrogance. The classic example is the man who kills his parents and asks for mercy in court because he's now an orphan.

The Wall Street Journal reports:

"Nathan Cofnas doesn’t regret publishing allegations of plagiarism against the late professor, but says the media and Cambridge let Arday down"

How could Cofnas not anticipate such fallout? 

Anyone who has spent time in academic knows that chutzpah is common. Under recently, as higher education has come under scrutiny, the power structure got away with it. Under the guise of the pursuit of excellence, anything goes. Or, it did.

In my coaching, I'm finding that the era of blind faith in academia is certainly over.

Careers. Forget all that. It’s about earning a good living, no matter what.

Complimentary consultation with Jane Genova, StreetSmart Coaching (janegenova374@gmail.com)



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