Making Sense with Sam Harris #431 — What Is Happening on College Campuses?
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Aug 25, 2025 
In this engaging discussion, Michael Roth, President of Wesleyan University and a New York Times contributor, tackles the complexities of higher education. He explores concerns about wokeness, the challenges of navigating ideological diversity, and the tensions between free speech and inclusivity on campus. Roth also shares insights on how universities should manage controversial speakers while upholding academic integrity. His perspectives on the ideological pressures from the Trump administration add depth to the conversation surrounding the future of academic freedom.
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Authoritarian Threats Outweigh Campus Wokeness
- Michael Roth sees current threats to higher education as primarily external authoritarian pressure from the federal government rather than internal left-wing capture.
- He worries colleagues too often fail to defend long-standing freedoms of thought and inquiry.
Vocationalism, Not Neo‑Marxism, Dominates
- Roth argues claims of ideological capture are vastly overblown and misunderstands where most students and majors are heading.
- He identifies vocationalism, not neo-Marxism, as the real danger shaping higher education today.
Christakis Episode Was Bad But Atypical
- Roth recounts the Nicholas Christakis episode as awful but not evidence of a systemic ideological takeover.
- He cautions against using isolated bad incidents to generalize about all universities.
