What does viewpoint diversity really mean, and what does it look like when it works? The current debate

🎓Commencement speeches should inspire graduates across their differences, not drive them into ideological camps.

🗣️Constructive disagreement isn't synonymous with all dialogue‑driven practices. As more schools adopt such programs, this distinction is crucial.

🔎 This is what viewpoint diversity for academia actually means, explained in just four points:

Echo chambers don't foster campus cultures where truth and rigorous scholarship thrive. ⬇️Save your spot for a discussion on the viewpoint diversity debate featuring HxA President John Tomasi, Nadine Strossen, and others.

🎓 Where academia went wrong, in under 60 seconds. Vanderbilt Chancellor Daniel Diermeier keynote address set the tone at HxA's recent conference:

"Much work remains." Vanderbilt University Chancellor Daniel Diermeier set the tone for HxA's West Coast Regional Conference:

🧠 But how? Thursday: Join HxA's John Tomasi for a discussion with Tyler J. VanderWeele, @Komi_Frey, and @nafeesalamphd on the pragmatic pursuit of viewpoint diversity in higher ed.

❌ When scholars self-censor controversial views, the appearance of agreement can mask important disagreements. For HxA's inquisitive magazine, this essay by @ObhishekSaha explores what academic freedom must protect:

"Could it possibly make things any worse?" Jesse Singal makes a case for viewpoint diversity in an upcoming book edited by Bernard Schweizer and HxA President John Tomasi:

🔎 What happens when yesterday’s dissidents become today’s orthodoxy? Tony Banout examines the test facing universities, and HxA itself: whether we remain committed to truth-seeking even when the heterodox becomes mainstream.

🎓Is the left-to-right ratio in academia 2:1 or 82:1? It depends how you measure it. HxA's new report examined 15 years of research on faculty political diversity and found that methodology impacts this story. 💡Tune into a discussion with the report's researchers for more.

🧠 "No truth claim should be immunized from good-faith inquiry." In HxA's new issue of inquisitive, Tony Banout draws a sharp line between inquiry and ideology:

🎓 As federal pressure on higher ed continues, reform factions are forming:

🎓 What could most significantly increase the public’s trust in academia? HxA’s inquisitive magazine explores how universities lost the public’s trust and what it will take to rebuild.

💡College grads have shifted more liberal, while non-grads hold steady in political identity.

What’s happening in open inquiry news across the academy this week:

🎓 This week in higher ed: Some university presidents are taking the lead to build cultures of open inquiry on campus.

🚨Despite growing evidence that declining trust is tied to concerns about politicization and intellectual climate, college leaders are reluctant to see similar problems on their own campuses.

🚨 A new survey reveals how university presidents are addressing the intellectual climate on campus. But are they dealing with the most pressing issues?

🔎 Did academia have a better understanding of its mission over 100 years ago? See how today’s universities measure up to the University of Wisconsin’s 1894 declaration on academic freedom:

🎓 What if the biggest barriers in education aren’t the most obvious? From grading to classroom norms, this essay examines how conformity in higher ed gets rewarded:

🔎 Some universities are backing away from political statements without formally adopting neutrality. That’s not enough.

🔎 If you care about open inquiry in academia, here are a few of the week's news stories to watch:

❌ No, geology departments shouldn't hire flat earthers. Viewpoint diversity isn’t a call to denigrate the epistemic standards of the academy.

💡Open inquiry: the ability to ask questions, share ideas, and challenge popular views and assumptions. It's never been a better time for academia to recommit to this value.

While in Canada, I delivered an address for the @heterodoxacademy.bsky.social annual CA conference explaining the meaning of viewpoint diversity and its value for scientific research: www.youtube.com/watch?v=AsqJ...

Co-teaching showed UVA Professor Mary Kate Cary how eager students are for a robust education that encompasses different viewpoints. Learn about the strategies she's using to bring constructive disagreement and viewpoint diversity to her campus. ⬇️

🔎 Should professors teach students what the law is or how to think about it? In HxA's inquisitive magazine, @noahchauvin.bsky.social explores constitutional law as a space where values, interpretation, and disagreement shape outcomes as much as doctrine:

Grateful for the opportunity to contribute this piece to @heterodoxacademy.bsky.social's magazine, Inquisitive, with the help of @alicedreger.bsky.social. inquisitivemag.org/articles/the... It briefly recounts the frivolous SLAPP lawsuit I faced after speaking up to protect science & people.

New piece for @heterodoxacademy.bsky.social on multiverse analysis: What happens when you run thousands of models on the same data instead of just the one that made it into the paper? Turns out disagreement in science is a feature, not a bug. heterodoxacademy.substack.com/p/how-multiv...

My new essay for Inquisitive Magazine @heterodoxacademy.bsky.social looks at institutional neutrality, academic freedom, and the 1894 University of Wisconsin statement. inquisitivemag.org/articles/bac...