In today’s Pope Center Clarion Call, I review a new book by Greg Lukianoff, president of the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education. The book’s title is Unlearning Liberty: Campus Censorship and the End of American Debate.
Lukianoff writes about the very troubling trend toward stifling free speech and free association on college campuses, which have become minefields for the unwary. Schools are often more interested in trying to ensure “sensitivity” than in robust arguments. They have also established policies that power tripping administrators use to stifle criticism and impose conformity.
One reason why the book is so persuasive is that the author is a liberal Democrat who takes a principled position in favor of freedom. He often disagrees in substance with the students and faculty members he defends, but understands that free speech will die the death of a thousand cuts unless it gets unwavering defense.
