Heterodox Out Loud

With rising concerns around COVID-19 misinformation, election fraud claims, hate speech online and on-campus, many argue that traditional arguments for free speech are no longer sustainable. Today’s blog, Mill Still Matters Today, is a defense of the values of John Stuart Mill — the most influential English language philosopher of the 19th century. His robust defense of personal liberty and free speech is a subject of fruitful debate today. The blog was written by Richard Reeves, a Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution and one of the world’s foremost scholars on John Stuart Mill. The episode includes an exclusive interview with Richard. As mentioned in today’s episode: On October 13th, we will be hosting a riveting panel event, “Hyperconnected: Knowledge Production in the Age of Social Media.” Join us! To engage deeper with these ideas, check out our related posts: Why Free Speech? by Jonathan Zimmerman Why Mill Matters More Than Ever: A Student Perspective by Noah Rosenfield Heterodox Academicians, Make Madison Your Model by Jonathan Rauch This episode was hosted by Zach Rausch. The artwork was inspired by Reeves’ piece and was created by Lexi Polokoff. You can follow her on Instagram @lexipolokoffart Follow Heterodox Academy on:Twitter: https://bit.ly/3Fax5DyFacebook: https://bit.ly/3PMYxfwLinkedIn: https://bit.ly/48IYeuJInstagram: https://bit.ly/46HKfUgSubstack: https://bit.ly/48IhjNF 🔗 Find out more about Heterodox Academy at: https://linktr.ee/heterodoxoutloud

Many K-12 schools across the United States are facing criticism for demonstrating a bias toward left-leaning sociopolitics, while others feel schools are not doing enough. Today’s episode makes the case for viewpoint diversity in K-12 education and the importance of teaching the skills of respectful discourse, regardless of one’s ideological stance. Today’s blog, Why K-12 Needs Viewpoint Diversity Now was written by Will Reusch. Will is a high school history teacher and the co-moderator of the Heterodox K-12 community. You can learn more about our 20+ HxCommunities here. The piece is narrated by Richard Davies. To engage deeper with these ideas, check out our related posts: Critical Theory or Common Humanity? The Case for a Liberal Approach to Social Studies Education by Sam Merrick & Samantha Hedges Why Universities Must Choose One Telos: Truth or Social Justice by Jonathan Haidt Why K-12 Needs Viewpoint Diversity Now by Will Reusch For comments and questions email communications@heterodoxacademy.org. This episode was hosted by Zach Rausch. The artwork was inspired by Reusch’s piece and was created by Lexi Polokoff. You can follow her on Instagram @lexipolokoffart Follow Heterodox Academy on:Twitter: https://bit.ly/3Fax5DyFacebook: https://bit.ly/3PMYxfwLinkedIn: https://bit.ly/48IYeuJInstagram: https://bit.ly/46HKfUgSubstack: https://bit.ly/48IhjNF 🔗 Find out more about Heterodox Academy at: https://linktr.ee/heterodoxoutloud

Threats to open inquiry and viewpoint diversity do not know ideological bounds. Today’s episode addresses the times when viewpoint diversity gets hijacked for political gain. Today’s blog, Constructing Campus Craziness, was written by professor Donald Moynihan in February of 2019, in response to a close friend (and co-author) being targeted and falsely accused for being, well, you know the script: a conservaitve-loathing, ideologically motivated, radical left-wing professor. Listen in for the full story of Professor Ken Mayer and an exclusive interview with Donald Moynihan. The piece was narrated by Jonathan Todd Ross. Are Colleges and Universities Too Liberal? What the Research Says About the Political Composition of Campuses and Campus Climate by Amna Khalid and Sam Abrams Political Firings of Left-Leaning Faculty: Academic Freedom is Not a Partisan Issue by Ian Storey Condemning the Harassment Shouldn't Mean Dismissing the Concerns by Ilana Redstone For comments and questions email communications@heterodoxacademy.org. This episode was hosted by Zach Rausch. The artwork was inspired by Moynihan's piece and was created by Lexi Polokoff. You can follow her on Instagram @lexipolokoffart Follow Heterodox Academy on:Twitter: https://bit.ly/3Fax5DyFacebook: https://bit.ly/3PMYxfwLinkedIn: https://bit.ly/48IYeuJInstagram: https://bit.ly/46HKfUgSubstack: https://bit.ly/48IhjNF 🔗 Find out more about Heterodox Academy at: https://linktr.ee/heterodoxoutloud

“Critical Race Theory” is all the rage these days. Between February and June of 2021, Fox News used the term nearly 1300 times. In the past two months, more than 20 bills have been proposed intending to ban Critical Race Theory from K-12 classrooms, while countless op-ed’s have been published taking positions on all sides of the issue. And yet, it still is a term with a slippery definition that very few people, regardless of position, agree upon. Today’s blog, Critical Theory or Common Humanity? The Case for a Liberal Approach to Social Studies Education co-authored by Sam Merrick, a social studies teacher, and Samantha Hedges, a scholar of the politics of education, discusses the role and meaning of Critical Theory in the K-12 classroom, as well as its relationship to viewpoint diversity. The episode includes an exclusive interview with co-author, Samantha Hedges. To engage deeper with these ideas, check out our related posts: A Rhetoric of Common Values by Erec Smith Why Universities Must Choose One Telos: Truth or Social Justice by Jonathan Haidt Why K-12 Needs Viewpoint Diversity Now by Will Reusch For comments and questions email communications@heterodoxacademy.org. This episode was hosted by Zach Rausch. The artwork was inspired by the piece and was created by Lexi Polokoff. You can follow her on Instagram @lexipolokoffart Follow Heterodox Academy on:Twitter: https://bit.ly/3Fax5DyFacebook: https://bit.ly/3PMYxfwLinkedIn: https://bit.ly/48IYeuJInstagram: https://bit.ly/46HKfUgSubstack: https://bit.ly/48IhjNF 🔗 Find out more about Heterodox Academy at: https://linktr.ee/heterodoxoutloud

Today, we explore a subject that has been under-examined at Heterodox Academy: Religious viewpoint diversity. The piece, Religion: A Viewpoint Diversity Blind Spot?, was written by Dr. Seth Kaplan. He teaches at the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies of Johns Hopkins University. Today’s episode is part of a new effort this summer to explore the nuances of religious viewpoint diversity within higher education. On July 26th, we’re going to be hosting a live event on the tensions between religious faith and truth-seeking in both secular and religious colleges and universities. Learn more. To engage deeper with these ideas, check out our related posts: Inviting Religion Into the Classroom by Jill DeTemple To Heal Our Religious Divisions, We Must Embrace the Unaffiliated Souls of Young Americans by Kevin Singer For comments and questions email communications@heterodoxacademy.org. This episode was hosted by Zach Rausch. The artwork was inspired by Kaplan’s piece and was created by Lexi Polokoff. You can follow her on Instagram @lexipolokoffart Follow Heterodox Academy on:Twitter: https://bit.ly/3Fax5DyFacebook: https://bit.ly/3PMYxfwLinkedIn: https://bit.ly/48IYeuJInstagram: https://bit.ly/46HKfUgSubstack: https://bit.ly/48IhjNF 🔗 Find out more about Heterodox Academy at: https://linktr.ee/heterodoxoutloud

Six years ago, in the fall of 2015, a wave of campus protests spread across the United States. From Yale to Claremont McKenna College to UC Berkeley, students demanded changes related to social justice and gave long lists of demands to their university presidents, often including demands that specific faculty members be fired for perceived verbal offenses. Today’s blog, “True Diversity Requires Generosity of Spirit” written by Jonathan Haidt in November 2015 is a call for patience, generosity, and a dash of humility, especially towards those we think to be doing us wrong. This piece has withstood the test of time, offering ancient wisdom to help deal with modern problems. Haidt is a Professor of Ethical Leadership at New York University’s Stern School of Business. He is also Heterodox Academy’s co-founder and Board Chair. To engage deeper with these ideas, check out our related posts: A Rhetoric of Common Values by Erec Smith Why Universities Must Choose One Telos: Truth or Social Justice by Jonathan Haidt HxA Resources for Understanding Different Kinds of Diversity by Jonathan Haidt Stay up to date with Jon on Twitter @JonHaidt. For comments and questions email communications@heterodoxacademy.org. This episode was hosted by Zach Rausch. The artwork was inspired by Irshad’s piece and was created by Lexi Polokoff. You can follow her on Instagram @lexipolokoffart Follow Heterodox Academy on:Twitter: https://bit.ly/3Fax5DyFacebook: https://bit.ly/3PMYxfwLinkedIn: https://bit.ly/48IYeuJInstagram: https://bit.ly/46HKfUgSubstack: https://bit.ly/48IhjNF 🔗 Find out more about Heterodox Academy at: https://linktr.ee/heterodoxoutloud

Today’s episode, “White Fragility is not The Answer: Honest Diversity Is” by Irshad Manji is a personal reflection on diversity and a call for a new way to think about what it means to be a human being. Irshad is a member of the Heterodox Academy advisory council, the founder of the Moral Courage Project, and a New York Times best-selling author. Her most recent book is called: Don’t Label Me: An Incredible Conversation For Divided Times. To engage deeper with these ideas, check out our related posts: Towards An Ascetic Antiracism by Musa al-Gharbi ‘Diversity Training’ Doesn’t Work. This Might. by Musa al-Gharbi HxA Resources for Understanding Different Kinds of Diversity by Jonathan Haidt Stay up to date with Irshad on Twitter @IrshadManji. For comments and questions email communications@heterodoxacademy.org. This episode was hosted by Zach Rausch. The artwork was inspired by Irshad’s piece and was created by Lexi Polokoff. You can follow her on Instagram @lexipolokoffart Follow Heterodox Academy on:Twitter: https://bit.ly/3Fax5DyFacebook: https://bit.ly/3PMYxfwLinkedIn: https://bit.ly/48IYeuJInstagram: https://bit.ly/46HKfUgSubstack: https://bit.ly/48IhjNF 🔗 Find out more about Heterodox Academy at: https://linktr.ee/heterodoxoutloud

Diversity-related training is one of the most contentious issues in higher education today. They have become embedded in the culture wars and spark intense moral disagreements. Musa al-Gharbi, a Fellow in Sociology at Columbia University, has done a deep dive into the research on the efficacy of these trainings. In today’s episode, we speak with Musa and listen to his blog, “‘Diversity Training’ Doesn’t Work. This Might.” To engage deeper with Musa’s ideas, check out his three-part series on diversity-related training. “Diversity-Related Training: What is it Good For?” “You’ve Been Mandated to Do Ineffective Training. Now What?” “‘Diversity Training’ Doesn’t Work: This Might.’” For comments and questions email communications@heterodoxacademy.org. Stay up to date with Musa on Twitter @musa_alGharbi. For comments and questions email communications@heterodoxacademy.org. This episode was hosted by Zach Rausch. The artwork was inspired by Musa’s piece and was created by Lexi Polokoff. You can follow her on Instagram @lexipolokoffart Follow Heterodox Academy on:Twitter: https://bit.ly/3Fax5DyFacebook: https://bit.ly/3PMYxfwLinkedIn: https://bit.ly/48IYeuJInstagram: https://bit.ly/46HKfUgSubstack: https://bit.ly/48IhjNF 🔗 Find out more about Heterodox Academy at: https://linktr.ee/heterodoxoutloud

Could the French postmodern philosopher, Michel Foucault or American Gender theorist, Judith Butler provide us with arguments for the value of viewpoint diversity? For increasing the number of conservative faculty members on college campuses? Alice Dreger thinks so. Today’s blog, written by Alice, a Heterodox Academy Advisory Council Member and the author of four books, most notably, Galileo’s Middle Finger, is an exquisite reflection on one academic feminist’s journey into and through the “science wars” - a divide between those who thought science could obtain objective truth and those who thought truth was a social-construction - and the lessons that she learned in the process. Her piece is called, “Could Feminism (Again) Provide an Argument for More Conservatives?” To engage deeper with Dreger’s ideas, check out our related posts “Difference and Repetition in the Viewpoint Diversity Space” by Musa al-Gharbi, “Towards an Ethics of Activism” by Frances Lee, and “Callosal Failure: One Hundred Years of Viewpoint Diversity Activism” by Musa al-Gharbi. For comments and questions email communications@heterodoxacademy.org. Stay up to date with Dreger on Twitter @AliceDreger. For comments and questions email communications@heterodoxacademy.org.   This episode was hosted by Zach Rausch. The artwork was inspired by Musa’s piece and was created by Lexi Polokoff. You can follow her on Instagram @lexipolokoffart Follow Heterodox Academy on:Twitter: https://bit.ly/3Fax5DyFacebook: https://bit.ly/3PMYxfwLinkedIn: https://bit.ly/48IYeuJInstagram: https://bit.ly/46HKfUgSubstack: https://bit.ly/48IhjNF 🔗 Find out more about Heterodox Academy at: https://linktr.ee/heterodoxoutloud

Do you have a friend, family member, or neighbor whose views you just cannot stand? They seem to have jumped off the deep end, living in a land of conspiracies and false truths? And you know, at the core of your heart, that they are just wrong? If so, this episode is for you. Today’s blog, written by Musa al-Gharbi, the Paul F. Lazarsfeld Fellow in Sociology at Columbia University, is about persuasion, but also about humility, and owning up to the fact that most of the time, we know less than we are willing to acknowledge. The piece is called, “Three Strategies for Navigating Moral Disagreements” and is narrated by Jonathan Todd Ross. For comments and questions email communications@heterodoxacademy.org. Stay up to date with Musa on Twitter @musa_alGharbi. For comments and questions email communications@heterodoxacaemy.org. This episode was hosted by Zach Rausch. The artwork was inspired by Musa’s piece and was created by Lexi Polokoff. You can follow her on Instagram @lexipolokoffart Follow Heterodox Academy on:Twitter: https://bit.ly/3Fax5DyFacebook: https://bit.ly/3PMYxfwLinkedIn: https://bit.ly/48IYeuJInstagram: https://bit.ly/46HKfUgSubstack: https://bit.ly/48IhjNF 🔗 Find out more about Heterodox Academy at: https://linktr.ee/heterodoxoutloud