Applied Heterodoxy: Fostering Ideological Diversity (Without it Blowing Up In Your Face)

Main Workshop: Tuesday, February 1 (7–8:30pm ET) Follow-Up Sessions: February 4 (3-4:30pm ET), February 8 (7-8:30pm ET), February 10 (3-4:30pm ET) 

The need to preserve space for viewpoint diversity has never been clearer and more urgent – on campus and off. But how exactly to go about doing that practically is less clear. Applied Heterodoxy summarizes best practices from decades of experience taking concrete steps to create a climate where diverse viewpoints thrive while leaving relationships intact. Beyond the usual agonizing soul-searching and clashes of will, there is good news: namely, a set of accessible strategies that make heterodoxy more achievable (and more enjoyable) than you might think.

The first session will share practical insights gained from three specific approaches we’ve experimented with in over a decade of applying Moral Foundations Theory to the thorny problem of our deepening divisions (campus-wide, classroom-based, and community-based). We’ll introduce frame-shifting concepts for establishing a culture that embraces difference of opinion, including group strategies to prevent the usual “us vs. them” and counterintuitive means for defusing escalation of tension (or “what billiards can teach us about conflict resolution”).

The second session is a smaller group workshop experience where we go deeper with a limited number of participants. Based on a survey of participants, each workshop will address key challenges and concerns of each cohort — exploring more practical applications, sharing innovations and brainstorming solutions. Accepted applicants will be able to choose from three dates for the second session.