Emma Sprangers, Author at Ad Valvas

15 January 2026

Plato must be censored, Texas university believes

It is okay to read Plato, but not when he writes about race or gender. A professor of philosophy at a major university in Texas has been instructed to skip certain texts in his classes.

15 January 2026

Revised Internationalisation bill goes to Council of State

The controversial bill to reduce English-language instruction at higher education institutions is being submitted to the Council of State for review today. This is after a previous version of the bill was amended at the request of the House of…

17 December 2025

The dangerous convenience of a therapist in your pocket

AI chatbots have become our free therapists: always awake, always available, always affirming. But what if that digital confidant doesn’t deepen our thinking – but actually narrows it?

17 November 2025

Students beat AI song with Sophie Straat

Last week, students took the initiative to push an AI-produced anti asylum centre song out of a Spotify top chart. ‘A protest song may be angry, but works better if it also calls for connection.’

5 November 2025

‘Violent games don’t make you violent’ 

At student association Boosted Gryffins, you can play video games, board games, or chat about your relationship crisis. ‘At other associations, you often don’t belong if you don’t drink.’  

29 October 2025

‘You know they won’t shoot, but you still think about it’

Master’s student in neuroscience and philosophy Dario Crippa joined the Global Sumud Flotilla, a fleet sailing towards Gaza to deliver humanitarian aid. He ended up in an Israeli prison.

16 October 2025

Student on Gaza flotilla: ‘There is nothing more to spare’

Among the activists on the Global Sumud Flotilla was VU student Mohamed Kotesh. His journey ended in an Israeli prison, where he was confronted with the paradox of being both Palestinian and Dutch.

10 October 2025

Less room for heroes at Martin Luther King Lecture

Who are our heroes, and should we even worship them? With this question, Nani Jansen Reventlow, human rights lawyer and founder of the Systemic Justice NGO, delivered the keynote address at the annual Martin Luther King Lecture on October 9.

16 September 2025