Weekly Roundup
Reading, watching, & listening list
Oregon Is Writing Gender Policy with Blinders On
For her Substack BROADVIEW, FAIR Advisor Lisa Selin Davis writes about Oregon’s gender policy.
In America, there is no standard agency to turn to for such matters, and certainly no impartial body. You might assume standards of care are decided by, say, medical associations. But medical associations are actually lobbying and advocacy groups that represent the interests of the professionals they charge for membership. Their goals are to get as many paying members as possible, and to maintain their power and reputations—not to provide the best, evidence-based, and safest treatment to patients. In a country with very little centralized control over health insurance and healthcare, individual governments or in courts of law may be deciding those standards—drawn from groups that might not have the best interests of patients in mind.
14th Annual Conference. Debate: What are the Limits of Free Speech?
FAIR Advisor Nadine Strossen speaks with George Washington University law professor Mary Anne Franks about her latest book, Fearless Speech: Breaking Free from the First Amendment.
I’m a Black Ph.D. and here’s why I left academia
For Fox News, FAIR Advisor Erec Smith writes about why he left academia.
Also, academia does not house the fair-minded and well-balanced life of the mind. Academia’s liberal to conservative ratio is 12 to 1. This is not the fair representation of viewpoints that are supposed to be a main characteristic of higher education and the liberal arts in general. Academics evade having to defend their ideas by only hiring people who already share them. I want an environment where the best argument wins, not where arguments are avoided by exclusion of counterarguments.
God & Man at Yale with Michael Knowles & Robert P. George
FAIR Advisor Robert P. George and Michael Knowles delve into the enduring significance of William F. Buckley's seminal work God and Man at Yale and its relevance in today's cultural and academic landscape. From the challenges of free speech on campus to the tension between faith and modern intellectual trends, Knowles and George offer insightful reflections on how Buckley’s ideas have shaped the conservative movement and continue to inspire students and scholars alike.
Right, left, and in-between: Can we bring our differences to the table?
For the FIRE Newsdesk, Talia Barnes writes about how people on the right and left can meet in the middle post-election.
With an election just behind us and Thanksgiving around the corner, many of us are considering how much to divulge at the dinner table. Whether we decide to weigh in on immigration policy, the optimal blend of herbs in the mashed potatoes, or mostly keep our opinions to ourselves, we can lend an ear to those who choose to make their thoughts known. In this simple act, we give them the gift of our attention and ourselves the gift of knowledge.
Yale Students: We’re Jealous of Our Conservative Peers
For The Free Press, Publius writes about how liberal students at Yale wish their university would challenge their ideas in the same way it does with conservatives.
In Yale classrooms, sweeping statements like “healthcare is a human right” are unlikely to provoke debate. Liberal students can get away with the minimal nuance that accompanies these slogans because their arguments fall within our school’s political orthodoxy. Our conservative peers are not afforded the same argumentative safety net. In anticipation of left-wing pushback, they must frame their contentions precisely and gracefully. This pressure to defend unpopular ideas is a catalyst for intellectual growth.
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