The Difficulty of Restoring Free Speech on College Campuses

1min Snip

00:00

Play full episode

Summary

Transcript

Episode notes

It's difficult to regain the genie that has been let out of the bottle. A revolution is needed in how colleges view themselves and the current direction of campus discussions. Imposing free speech codes or regulations won't solve the problem. At Shilamit, we value free expression as long as it is done respectfully. Those who fail to meet this standard will be addressed. Respecting discourse is crucial for intellectual and educational life, but regaining it may be challenging.

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.