Universities Must Educate for Democracy: A Call for Civil Discourse and Free Speech

As the United States grapples with deepening polarization and skepticism of higher education, universities must take a proactive role in educating students to engage in civil discourse and uphold free speech principles. This was the unanimous message from a panel of experts gathered at the WashU School of Law last Thursday night. The event, moderated by WashU Professor of Law and Religion John Inazu, brought together a distinguished panel of speakers, including Professor of Liberal Education at Bard College Roosevelt Montás, Professor of Law at George Washington University Law School Mary-Rose Papandrea, and New York Times columnist David French.

Key Takeaways:

• The panel emphasized the importance of liberal education in teaching students how to engage in civil discourse and uphold free speech principles. Montás described liberal education as "a process of full human development" that "teaches, in the profoundest sense, how to be human."
• The panelists stressed the need for universities to prioritize liberal education over preprofessional-oriented studies. Montás argued that liberal education is essential for developing critical thinking and problem-solving skills.
• The panel discussed the crucial role of free speech in a liberal education. French emphasized that universities have a responsibility to educate students for free speech and that "the defense of free speech is incomplete without the exercise of virtue."
• French also highlighted the importance of diversity and free speech going hand in hand on university campuses, arguing that "the fact that somehow we allowed free speech and diversity to be put at odds with one another has been catastrophic for our conception of free speech."
• The panelists expressed disagreement with hiring professors based on their political beliefs, rather than their academic expertise. French argued that "what we actually need to have is true, equal academic opportunity, a divorce from ideological litmus tests."
• Attendees of the event were impressed and reflective, with several noting the importance of student self-governance and the need for universities to prepare students for adulthood.

Statistics:

• According to Montás, liberal education has been "almost entirely subsumed" by disciplinary studies.
• A 2022 interview with Montás described liberal education as teaching "how to be human" and facilitating "full human development."
• French referenced the recent assassination of Charlie Kirk as an example of attacks on free speech in the United States.
• French emphasized that civil discourse is essential in fostering free speech, noting that "when we stop talking is when violence finds its purchase."
• The WashU administration's initiative, the Ordered Liberty Project, aims to recruit faculty with expertise in classical liberalism.

Sources:

• Interview with Roosevelt Montás, 2022
• Student Life
• WashU Law School
• New York Times