The Reason Interview With Nick Gillespie cover image

The Reason Interview With Nick Gillespie

Steven Pinker: What Went Wrong at Harvard

Mar 27, 2024
Psychologist Steven Pinker discusses challenges to academic freedom at Harvard, skepticism about moral and material progress, and his stereoscopic photography. Topics include free speech, diversity in universities, governance, admissions policies, state support, human well-being, AI optimism, and the power of data and graphs.
01:18:17

Episode guests

Podcast summary created with Snipd AI

Quick takeaways

  • Preservation of free speech at Harvard through the Council on Academic Freedom addresses censorship and ideological pressures.
  • DEI policies in academia need transparency to prevent bias and uphold academic freedom.

Deep dives

Challenges at Harvard and Advocacy for Academic Freedom

Discussions at Harvard focused on preserving free speech amid challenges on censorship and the campus climate. Stephen Pinker co-founded the Council on Academic Freedom to counter restrictions on diverse opinions. The council aims to support faculty under attack and ensure balanced discourse. By advocating for open debate and faculty autonomy, they address issues of selective enforcement and ideological pressures on campus.

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