The American Academy of Arts and Sciences is the most distinguished scholarly organization in the nation. It is dedicated to the advancement of the arts and sciences. It is decidedly nonpartisan. I was elected to membership many years ago. AAAS rarely issues a statement. Its board did so in April because of unprecedented attacks on higher education, scholarly independence, and the rule of law.
A statement from the Board of Directors of the American Academy of Arts & Sciences.
Approved April 2025.
Since its founding in 1780, the AmericanAcademy of Arts and Sciences has sought “to cultivate every art and science which may tend to advance the interest, honor, dignity, and happiness of a free, independent, and virtuouspeople.” We do this by celebrating excellence in every field of human endeavor and by supporting the unfettered pursuit of knowledge and its application to the common good.
The Academy fosters nonpartisan, deliberative discourse on pressing issues facing our communities in the United States and the world.Our founders were also the founders of our nation. From them, we inherit a deep commitment to the practice of democratic self-governance. Our constitutional democracy has been imperfect, but almost 250 years since its inception, it remains an inspiration to peoplenear and far. Ours is a great nation because ofour system of checks and balances, separation of powers, individual rights, and an independent judiciary — as the Academy’s founder JohnAdams put it, “a government of laws, not of men.” And we are a great nation because we haveinvested in the arts and sciences while protecting the freedom that enables them to flourish.
These values are under serious threat today.Every president of the United States has the prerogative to set new priorities and agendas; nopublic or private institution is above criticism or calls for reform; and no reasoned arguments, from the left or the right, should be silenced. But current developments, in their pace, scale, and hostility toward institutions dedicated to knowledge and the pursuit of truth, have little precedent in our modern history.
We oppose reckless funding cuts and restrictions that imperil the research enterprise of our universities, hospitals, and laboratories, which contribute enormously to our prosperity, health, and national security. We condemn efforts to censor our scholarly and cultural institutions, to curtail freedom of the press, and to purge inquiry or ideas that challenge prevailing policies. We vigorously support the independence of the judiciary and the legal profession, and opposeactions and threats intended to erode thatindependence and, in turn, the rule of law.
In this time of challenge, we cherish theseprinciples and stand resilient against efforts to undermine them. The Academy will continue to urge public support for the arts and sciences, and also work to safeguard the conditions of freedom necessary for novel discoveries, creative expression, and truth-seeking in all its forms. We join a rising chorus of organizations and individuals determined to invigorate the democratic ideals of our republic and its constitutional values, and prevent our nation from sliding toward autocracy.
In the coming months and years, the Academy will rededicate itself to studying, building, and amplifying the practices of constitutional democracy in their local and national forms, with particular focus on its pillars of freedom of expression and the rule of law. We call on all citizens to help fortify a civic culture unwavering in its commitment to our founding principles.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
For centuries, the question of whether the pen is mightier than the sword has reverberated through the years. Today, we are facing a different matter: who can wield the pen on the internet with the greatest impact?
This erstwhile organization can only do so much when it opposes billions of dollars that spew misinformation in ways that consumers mop up in ways that makes these pronouncements seem legitimate.
Still, the sword has taken the form of agents arresting people without a warrant, and there is no sword to oppose this yet. Moreover, the Jim Crow experience suggests that no one will oppose them.
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Who in the world knew about the presence of this institution: The Academy of the Arts and Sciences, so long in our midst. I was in the academia a long time after I turned 30 and, if I ever heard about them, it was a benign reference.
We are in a new time with new people (long past WWII) and with new habits and ways of communicating. There might be something good to find in the idea of bringing some supportable “bells and whistles” into our national and local communications venues. CBK
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Before is read the post, I checked where their funding comes from.
The American Academy of Arts and Sciences relies on a mix of funding sources, including endowment, restricted grants, private donations, and government support. While the Academy aims to strengthen its financial independence through a larger endowment, it continues to be reliant on programmatic grants and funding from foundations.
I don’t know how much the Government Support is. Still, I expect Trump will sign an executive order to end whatever that amount is if it hasn’t happened already.
https://www.amacad.org/humanities-indicators/funding-and-research#:~:text=Government%20funding%20for%20humanities%20research,sustaining%20important%20areas%20of%20humanities
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It is a prestigious organization. I think its expenses must be modest. I doubt that Trump will know of its opposition because AAAS is an organization of elite scholars, whose opinion he does not value. And to read its statement requires one to have a larger vocabulary than Trump has.
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