Texas A&M University philosophy professor Martin Peterson is kicking up a storm over alleged censorship.
Peterson”The philosophy department has instructed him to remove material related to race and gender from his Contemporary Moral Issues course, including readings of the Greek philosopher Plato, or he will be reassigned.” reported KBTX on Wednesday. The publication spoke with Peterson, who said: “I speak for myself, not the university, when I say that I believe Texas A&M is on the wrong path. Censorship is not a realistic path to academic excellence.” (RELATED: University of Texas professors must now get permission before reporting on race or gender)
I'd say it depends. Nobody has time to read everything. Censorship by default is necessary and good because some things are more important than others. Plato was one of them.
But Peterson reportedly presented Plato's work in the context of modules on “racial ideology and gender ideology.” sent University representatives read to Peterson. Texas A&M Board of Regents voted in November 2025, require professors to obtain approval from the university president before teaching courses on “race or gender ideology or topics related to sexual orientation or gender identity.”
Martin Peterson's creative response to the ban on teaching Plato (published with his permission). pic.twitter.com/lXT5gUcHse
— Jonathan Birch (@birhlse) January 8, 2026
The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) supported Peterson. framing situation in somewhat insincere terms: “Texas A&M now believes Plato has no place in an introductory philosophy course.”
“The philosophy department is demanding that Professor Martin Peterson remove platonic readings because they 'may' involve racial or gender ideology. He has been given until the end of the day to comply or be reassigned. This is what happens when the board of trustees gives university bureaucrats veto power over academic content. The board didn't just impose censorship, they unleashed it with immediate and predictable consequences,” FIRE wrote on X.
“You don’t protect students by banning a philosophy that’s 2,400 years old.”
Well, fine, but Texas A&M doesn't seem to have a “no Plato” ban. Find Texas A&M University Courses returns six courses whose descriptions include Plato. None of these appear to have been taught by Peterson. Peterson's syllabus lists PHIL 111 as his course number, Contemporary Moral Issues, which did not appear in my search. The course description for PHIL 111 does not mention Plato at the time of writing. (RELATED: Professor Fired for Punishing Student Who Objected to Gender Ideology in Children's Literature Class)
Clearly, some professors are able to teach Plato without framing his philosophy in terms of racial and gender ideology. If Peterson can't do that, perhaps he should find a new line of work.
Follow Natalie Sandoval on X: @NatSandovalDC
