Diversity, Inclusion, Freedom of Speech, and Academic Freedom

  Each member of this class is welcome. No one is more welcome than anyone else, and no one is less welcome than anyone else. Each of you is equally welcome. Each of you is privileged to be entering into a noble profession and vocation in the law. You should be proud of this privilege because you have earned it by hard work, good choices, and by making the most of your natural abilities. Welcome!

 Here are my thoughts (quoted from the Princeton statement) on diversity, inclusion, freedom of speech, and academic freedom in academia:

Education should not be intended to make people comfortable; it is meant to make them think. Universities should be expected to provide the conditions within which hard thought, and therefore strong disagreement, independent judgment, and the questioning of stubborn assumptions, can flourish in an environment of the greatest freedom. Because the University is committed to free and open inquiry in all matters, it guarantees all members of the University community the broadest possible latitude to speak, write, listen, challenge, and learn.

That is how I try to teach my classes. All views relevant to the issues we are discussing are welcome. But all views are debatable. In a country as diverse as ours, there are competing versions of social justice, competing versions of what is true, what is good, and what is beautiful. 

The way to deal with ideas you disagree with is counter-speech, not censorship. Inclusion means inclusion, not exclusion. To be an inclusive leader you must always be open to the ideas of others. Debate yes. Censorship never.

But remember, education is about debate and critical analysis of ideas. Persuasion--not censorship--is the goal of education.