The chapter explores the shifting values and challenges faced by leading universities, focusing on Harvard University, including concerns over prioritizing social justice concepts over excellence and truth. It discusses the impact on university applications, alumni relations, and legal investigations, emphasizing the need for universities to re-establish a social contract with society. The conversation reflects on historical conceptions of universities and the importance of self-correction and inclusivity in academic settings.
Yascha Mounk and Larry Summers also discuss the promise and perils of artificial intelligence.
Larry Summers is an economist, the Charles W. Eliot University Professor and director of the Mossavar-Rahmani Center for Business and Government at Harvard Kennedy School, and a member of the board of directors of OpenAI. Summers is the former President of Harvard University, the former Secretary of the Treasury under Bill Clinton, and was a director of the National Economic Council under Barack Obama.
In this week’s conversation, Yascha Mounk and Larry Summers discuss how universities can re-commit to pursuing truth and protecting academic freedom; how current economic indicators contrast with how many people actually experience the economy; and how Biden can improve his odds for re-election.
This transcript has been condensed and lightly edited for clarity.
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