The speakers delve into the complex issue of free speech, discussing whether certain groups should forfeit their free speech protections if they don't believe in free speech themselves. They explore different perspectives, touch upon Hayek's reflections on academic freedom, and highlight the challenges faced by college campuses in dealing with the boundaries of free speech.
How can we create a radically different atmosphere at American universities? Easy, says historian Niall Ferguson of Stanford University's Hoover Institution--have meaningful rules about free speech, and ensure that they're upheld. As with humans, as with institutions: It's all about incentives. Ferguson discusses the current state of free speech on American campuses and how the new University of Austin when it opens hopes to safeguard freedom of speech. The conversation shifts then to the war in the Middle East. Ferguson draws on his work on the biography of Henry Kissinger and compares the present moment for Israel to the Yom Kippur War and the role Kissinger played in 1973.