The Vital Role of Discomfort in Education and Free Expression

The University of Chicago is known for its commitment to free speech and academic freedom. Why are these values important to the university? Where do they originate? And how do they help administrators navigate conflicts and controversies?

Tony Banout and Tom Ginsburg direct the University of Chicago’s Forum for Free Inquiry and Expression, which received a $100 million gift last year. They are also editors of “The Chicago Canon on Free Inquiry and Expression,” a new book that collects foundational texts that inform the university’s free speech tradition.

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Read the transcript.

Timestamps: 

00:00 Intro

03:31 Origin of book

07:14 UChicago’s founding principles

12:41 Free speech in a university context

19:17 2015 UChicago committee report

32:03 1967 Kalven report

38:02 Institutional neutrality

57:41 Applying free speech principles beyond the university

01:04:21 Future steps for the Forum

01:06:35 Outro

Show notes:

- The University of Chicago’s Report of the Committee on Freedom of Expression (2015)

- Chicago Statement: University and Faculty Body Support (last updated 2024)

- The University of Chicago Kalven Report (1967)