Today's guest is Harvard psychologist Steven Pinker. Pinker and Reason's Nick Gillespie discuss recent shifts at Harvard toward greater institutional neutrality and free speech, while warning that threats to academic freedom now come from both internal ideologies and external political forcesâincluding pressure from the federal government under President Donald Trump.
Pinker defends the role of federal science funding but cautions against political micromanagement of academia, emphasizing the need for independent scholarly governance. The conversation also touches on Pinker's admiration for Richard Dawkins, the impact of declining religiosity on moral progress, and the concept of "common knowledge" as explored in Pinker's forthcoming book, When Everyone Knows That Everyone Knows.
0:00â Introduction
1:27â The state of Harvard
4:42â Harvard is circumventing SCOTUS affirmative action ruling
6:02â How to foster true ideological diversity
7:25â Why does Harvard rank so highly?
10:16â Threats to academic freedom under Trump
18:58â Do universities really need federal funding?
23:14â History of government interference in higher education
27:20â Is the Trump administration uniquely anti-intellectual?
30:47â Is academia historically unpopular now?
36:55â How universities can regain trust
40:25â Richard Dawkins' influence on Pinker
49:51â Societal progress was propelled by secularism
52:50â Why are public intellectuals pushing for religious revival?
54:23â Pinker's new book: When Everyone Knows That Everyone Knows
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The post Steven Pinker: Can Harvard Be Saved? appeared first on Reason.com.
