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Nathan Cofnas

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Nathan Cofnas
Cofnas in 2023
Born1987 (age 38–39)
Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
OccupationPostdoctoral researcher
Academic background
Education
ThesisEvolutionary Explanations and the Debunking of Moral Beliefs (2020)
Guy Kahane, Andreas Morgensen[1]
Academic work
DisciplinePhilosophy
Sub-discipline
Websitenathancofnas.com

Nathan Cofnas (born 1987) is an American postdoctoral researcher at Ghent University in Belgium. He is known for controversies surrounding his advocacy of scientific racism.

Cofnas earned a doctorate from Oxford University in 2020 and, thereafter, a Leverhulme Trust research grant. He became an early-career research fellow at the University of Cambridge and research associate at Emmanuel College, Cambridge in 2022. After it was publicised that Cofnas had written in a 2014 blog post that black people are, on average, less intelligent than other groups, and that they "would disappear from almost all high-profile positions outside of sports and entertainment" under a meritocratic system, he was dismissed from his position at Emmanuel College.

In 2026, Cofnas secured a position at Ghent University. In response to student protest and a petition calling for his dismissal, the university defended his appointment, citing academic freedom. Cofnas attracted attention after publishing a blog post in which he catalogued multiple examples of alleged plagiarism by University of Cambridge sociologist Jason Arday, who was found dead soon after resigning from his post. On August 20, 2026, Cofnas was suspended from his position at Ghent University.

Early life and education

Cofnas was born in Chicago, Illinois, in 1987.[2][3] He was raised Jewish and grew up in Manhattan.[4] He developed an interest in hereditarianism when he was sixteen and taking courses at Columbia University.[4] Also while a teenager, he developed an interest in debunking the work of anti-semitic conspiracy theorist and evolutionary psychology professor Kevin MacDonald; he said later that an academic mentor recommended he not write about it.[5]

Cofnas earned a BA from Columbia,[4] then studied at Lingnan University in Hong Kong.[6] He took a MPhil from Cambridge and a DPhil in philosophy from Oxford.[2]

Academic career

Early career

Cofnas wrote a book titled Reptiles with a Conscience: The Coevolution of Religious and Moral Doctrine, published in 2012 by Richard Lynn's Ulster Institute for Social Research, a British race and intelligence think tank. Cofnas later withdrew the book from publication, hoping to publish it in future work.[5] In 2016, he attended the controversial London Conference on Intelligence.[7]

In 2018, Cofnas argued in Human Nature that Kevin MacDonald's work promoting antisemitic tropes relied upon "misrepresented sources and cherry-picked facts" and that the "evidence actually favors a simpler explanation of Jewish overrepresentation in intellectual movements involving Jewish high intelligence and geographic distribution."[8][5]

In 2019, Cofnas published a journal article in Philosophical Psychology arguing for the study of race and intelligence.[9] Nine academics published a joint letter in Philosophical Psychology stating that his paper was not up to academic publishing standards, and was faulty in its methodology, in part by ignoring major studies that disproved his position. They also stated his paper had "racist ideological undertones" and "can reasonably be read as pandering to proponents of scientific racism".[10] Philosophical Psychology editor Cees van Leeuwen later resigned over the controversy.[2] Mitchell Herschbach, editor-in-chief of the journal, later published an editor's note recognizing flaws with the peer-review process that allowed Cofnas' paper to be published assuring that the journal will "implement procedural improvements so that, going forward, the journal better handles papers on controversial topics having sensitive moral and socio-political implications."[11]

In 2020 Cofnas published a review on the effects of a vegan diet on intelligence. He has argued it may have negative effects due to vitamin deficiencies.[12]

Emmanuel College, Cambridge

After receiving a Leverhulme Early Career Fellowship grant 2022, Cofnas became an early-career research fellow in the faculty of philosophy at Cambridge, where he taught philosophy of biology.[2][13] He also became a research associate at Emmanuel College.[2]

Cofnas describes himself as a "race realist", a euphemism for a proponent of scientific racism.[14] In a 2014 blog post, Cofnas had said that in a meritocratic system, black people "would disappear from almost all high-profile positions outside of sports and entertainment".[15] Shortly after, a petition called for his firing and prompted investigations by the institutions associated with him.[2] 58 Emmanuel students filed formal complaints against him.[16] The investigations were opposed by prominent academics, including Steven Pinker and Peter Singer, on the grounds of freedom of speech.[17] The University's investigation concluded that certain remarks in the blog post risked breaching its free speech policy, since they could encourage discrimination against black staff and students and might foster a racially hostile environment, though the University did not find that his conduct amounted to discrimination or harassment. Cofnas resigned his teaching and examining responsibilities after the backlash.[18] Emmanuel College dismissed him, finding that his blog post amounted to a "rejection of diversity, equity, and inclusion" and was inconsistent with the college's mission.[4][16] Cofnas, with support from the Free Speech Union and £85,000 in donations, sued Emmanuel College in August 2024 for belief discrimination over his dismissal. The court found his beliefs were legally protected but ruled the dismissal was proportionate, finding the blog post's impact had been "immediate and significant" and had caused harm and reputational damage.[19][16][13] As of August 2026, he was appealing the decision.[13]

Ghent University

Cofnas was hired as a postdoctoral researcher by Ghent University in 2026. In response, students protested while a petition objected to his views and calling for his firing.[6][20] The university defended his appointment, saying his statements did not violate the law or their ethical code.[21] In a statement, the university said: "We oppose this attack on academic freedom. While we are not endorsing any specific claims Cofnas has made, we believe that academics must be able to put forward controversial or provocative claims without fear of losing their employment."[22]

In July 2026, Cofnas publicly accused University of Cambridge sociology professor Jason Arday of plagiarism in his doctoral thesis. Arday had in 2023 become the youngest black professor in the University's history.[23] In a Substack post, Cofnas wrote that he had run Arday's doctoral thesis through plagiarism detection software and found that "many passages are lifted with minimal editing, sometimes retaining copy-editing mistakes from the original source". He also cast doubt on some other claims Arday had made about his life.[24] Cofnas told Retraction Watch he began scrutinizing Arday's work after he was contacted by a Cambridge faculty member who believed that the University had not responded adequately to previous plagiarism allegations against Arday.[25] His accusations were followed by reports by The Telegraph and The Guardian, and the controversy became the subject of significant attention in British media and on Twitter.[26] Cofnas later joked that the Arday incident is "what happened if you don’t give Cofnas a job. ... After the revolution, I'll be the head of the department of eugenics and race science at Harvard."[27] Arday denied the accusations but later resigned as a result of the scandal, which he said had resulted in "an unrelenting level of public scrutiny and personal attack".[28] Shortly after his resignation, Arday was found dead at his London home.[29]

On August 20, 2026, Cofnas was suspended from Ghent University as part of a preliminary disciplinary investigation.[30] On August 28, 2026, Ghent University stated that Cofnas could resume academic activities on the condition that he worked remotely and not engage in any teaching while investigations are pending.[31]

See also

Bibliography

  • Cofnas, Nathan (2012). Reptiles with a Conscience: The Coevolution of Religious and Moral Doctrine. Ulster Institute for Social Research.[5]
  • Cofnas, Nathan (March 10, 2018). "Judaism as a Group Evolutionary Strategy: A Critical Analysis of Kevin MacDonald's Theory". Human Nature. 29 (2): 134–156. doi:10.1007/s12110-018-9310-x. ISSN 1045-6767. PMC 5942340. PMID 29526014.
  • Cofnas, Nathan (January 2, 2020). "Research on group differences in intelligence: A defense of free inquiry". Philosophical Psychology. 33 (1): 125–147. doi:10.1080/09515089.2019.1697803. ISSN 0951-5089. Retrieved August 16, 2026.

References

  1. ↑ Cofnas, Nathan (2020). Evolutionary explanations and the debunking of moral beliefs (DPhil thesis). University of Oxford. doi:10.5287/ora-o0bny55d9.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Beal, James (April 19, 2024). "Cambridge in free-speech row over researcher's 'race realism' blog". The Times. Archived from the original on August 11, 2026. Retrieved August 10, 2026.
  3. ↑ Hughes, Coleman (August 27, 2026). Nathan Cofnas on Race, IQ, and the Jason Arday Scandal That Made Him Famous (Video). Event occurs at 1:04:59. Retrieved August 28, 2026 – via YouTube.{{cite AV media}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  4. 1 2 3 4 Cumming, Ed (October 17, 2025). "Cambridge academic: I'm on a mission to 'end the tyranny of wokeism'". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on October 20, 2025. Retrieved August 15, 2026.
  5. 1 2 3 4 Schulson, Michael (June 27, 2018). "Kevin MacDonald and the Elevation of Anti-Semitic Pseudoscience". Undark Magazine. Archived from the original on April 7, 2019. Retrieved October 28, 2018.
  6. 1 2 Grommen, Stefan (March 17, 2026). ""IQ hangt samen met ras": dit is Nathan Cofnas, de 'rassenrealist' die ophef veroorzaakt aan UGent" ["IQ is linked to race": this is Nathan Cofnas, the 'racial realist' causing a stir at UGent]. VRT NWS (in Dutch). Archived from the original on August 7, 2026. Retrieved August 15, 2026.
  7. ↑ Schulson, Michael (June 27, 2018). "Kevin MacDonald and the Elevation of Anti-Semitic Pseudoscience". Undark Magazine. Retrieved August 21, 2026.
  8. ↑ Cofnas, Nathan (March 10, 2018). "Judaism as a Group Evolutionary Strategy: A Critical Analysis of Kevin MacDonald's Theory". Human Nature. 29 (2): 134–156. doi:10.1007/s12110-018-9310-x. ISSN 1045-6767. PMC 5942340. PMID 29526014.
  9. ↑ Flaherty, Colleen (January 22, 2020). "An Intelligent Argument on Race?". Inside Higher Ed. Archived from the original on January 13, 2026. Retrieved August 15, 2026.
  10. ↑ Larsen, Rasmus Rosenberg; Cruz, Helen De; Kaplan, Jonathan; Fuentes, Agustín; Marks, Jonathan; Pigliucci, Massimo; Alfano, Mark; Smith, David Livingstone; Schroeder, Lauren (October 2, 2020). "More than provocative, less than scientific: A commentary on the editorial decision to publish Cofnas (2020)". Philosophical Psychology. 33 (7): 893–898. doi:10.1080/09515089.2020.1805199. ISSN 0951-5089.
  11. ↑ Herschbach, Mitchell (October 2, 2020). "Editor's views". Philosophical Psychology. 33 (7): 899–901. doi:10.1080/09515089.2020.1805198. ISSN 0951-5089.
  12. ↑ Gorvett, Zaria (January 28, 2020). "How a vegan diet could affect your intelligence". BBC. Retrieved August 21, 2026.
  13. 1 2 3 Colchester, Max; Deng, Chao (August 21, 2026). "The Controversial Academic Who Ignited the Jason Arday Furor". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved August 22, 2026.
  14. ↑
  15. ↑ Asaf, Seher (March 19, 2026). "University under fire over hiring of 'race realist' philosopher". Times Higher Education. Retrieved August 25, 2026. in a blog post from 2014 Cofnas says: "In a meritocracy, Harvard faculty would be recruited from the best of the best students, which means the number of black professors would approach 0 per cent. Blacks would disappear from almost all high-profile positions outside of sports and entertainment."
  16. 1 2 3 Isaacs, Lily (August 16, 2026). "Nathan Cofnas, the man at the centre of Arday plagiarism row, was dismissed for views on race". The Observer. Retrieved August 17, 2026.
  17. ↑ Woolcock, Nicola (May 1, 2024). "Don't sack Cambridge academic for race views, say colleagues". The Times. Archived from the original on August 11, 2026. Retrieved August 10, 2026.
  18. ↑ Vall, Wilf (October 3, 2025). "Uni clears don accused of 'abhorrent racism'". Varsity. Archived from the original on August 10, 2026. Retrieved August 10, 2026.
  19. ↑ Vall, Wilf (August 16, 2024). "'Race-realist' fellow Nathan Cofnas launches legal challenge over dismissal". Varsity. Archived from the original on August 1, 2026. Retrieved August 15, 2026.
  20. ↑ "Over 2,000 sign petition against university appointment of American philosopher". The Brussels Times. May 24, 2026. Archived from the original on August 11, 2026. Retrieved August 10, 2026.
  21. ↑ "Ghent University under fire for appointing US philosopher with ties to 'scientific racism'". The Brussels Times. March 5, 2026. Archived from the original on August 10, 2026. Retrieved August 10, 2026.
  22. ↑ Heeps, Ell (March 31, 2026). "Belgian university faces backlash over appointment of 'race-realist' fellow". Varsity. Retrieved August 21, 2026.
  23. ↑ Adams, Richard; Bakare, Lanre (August 5, 2026). "Cambridge professor Jason Arday resigns amid accusations of plagiarism". The Guardian. Retrieved August 16, 2026.
  24. ↑ Wong, Vicky (August 1, 2026). "Cambridge professor at centre of plagiarism row defends his work". BBC News. Retrieved August 15, 2026.
  25. ↑ Borrell, Brendan (July 27, 2026). "Exclusive: News outlet killed story on plagiarism allegations after Cambridge prof hired law firm". Retraction Watch. Retrieved August 15, 2026.
  26. ↑ Harper, Tyler Austin (August 15, 2026). "The Truths That Failed Jason Arday". The Atlantic. Archived from the original on August 15, 2026. Retrieved August 15, 2026.
  27. ↑ Jackson, Lauren Michele (August 19, 2026). "The Real Meaning of the Jason Arday Scandal". The New Yorker. ISSN 0028-792X. Retrieved August 21, 2026.
  28. ↑ McArthur, Tom; Jeffreys, Branwen (August 15, 2026). "Jason Arday: Former Cambridge university professor found dead". BBC News. Archived from the original on August 15, 2026. Retrieved August 15, 2026.
  29. ↑ "Message from the Vice-Chancellor – 15 August 2026". University of Cambridge. August 15, 2026. Retrieved August 16, 2026.
  30. ↑ ITVX (August 21, 2026). ""Academic who accused Jason Arday of plagiarism suspended from Belgian university"". ITVX. Retrieved August 23, 2026.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  31. ↑ Kar-Gupta, Sudip (August 28, 2026). "US academic who accused Jason Arday of plagiarism allowed to resume some work". Reuters. Retrieved August 30, 2026.
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