College Matters from The Chronicle Is ‘Intellectual Diversity’ a Trap?
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Oct 29, 2025 Brock Read, deputy managing editor at The Chronicle of Higher Education, dives into the contentious topic of intellectual diversity in academia. He explores the origins of this critique from figures like William F. Buckley, examines who's currently advocating for it, and questions whether these efforts are genuine or politically motivated. Survey findings reveal faculty political leanings and potential classroom biases. Brock argues that introducing pop-culture courses could enrich intellectual diversity, bridging gaps across various viewpoints.
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What Intellectual Diversity Means Today
- Intellectual diversity means presenting a broad spectrum of political and intellectual thought on campus.
- In 2025 the term is deeply inflected by partisan claims that colleges exclude conservative ideas.
Roots Of The Conservative Critique
- William F. Buckley's 1951 book God and Man at Yale launched the conservative critique of campus liberalism.
- David Horowitz later co-opted 'diversity' language to argue conservatives were excluded from curricula and faculties.
From Critique To Policy Priority
- Intellectual diversity has become a central conservative critique and policy goal for reshaping higher education.
- The idea now appears in legislation and in calls from some university presidents for ideological rebalancing.
