Teaching and scholarship are better when we don’t all think the same, which is why viewpoint diversity is one of HxA’s core values.
When people with a wide range of worldviews, backgrounds, and experiences are present and welcomed, academic communities can more effectively notice untested assumptions, imagine and explore new questions and answers, rigorously challenge popular theories, and make continued progress toward truth. But when academic groups are more homogeneous, their work can suffer from blind spots and groupthink.
Viewpoint diversity that enriches academic life can derive from differences in socioeconomic status, political and philosophical views, religion, life experience, personality, cognition, and specific cultural backgrounds, and the more commonly discussed categories of race, gender, and sexual orientation.
Your generosity supports our non-partisan efforts to advance the principles of open inquiry, viewpoint diversity, and constructive disagreement to improve higher education and academic research.
