The university is a sacred space for unbridled curiosity to roam; a space where we can test novel ideas and engage in thoughtful dialogue across lines of difference — all in the pursuit of expanding knowledge and discovering truth. Often, however, internal and external coercive forces—legislative pressures, online mobs, pedagogical bias, conflicting institutional incentives, self-censorship etc. — can constrain the pursuit of knowledge.
This resource guide explores the nature of these barriers and solutions to overcome them. We hope these materials help you engage with this important topic and encourage you to share them with colleagues.
HxA Top Picks:
Blog: Seizing the Means of Knowledge Production, by Musa al-Gharbi
Event: Saving Knowledge, with Jonathan Haidt and Jonathan Rauch
Podcast: Mill Still Matters Today: Free Speech in the 21st Century, with Zach Rausch and Richard Reeves
Events:
- Saving Knowledge: A Conversation Between Jonathan Haidt and Jonathan Rauch — How can our epistemic institutions continue to seek and know truth? Jonathan Haidt and Jonathan Rauch explore the epistemic crisis, its effects on the country, and potential solutions.
- Hyperconnected: Knowledge Production in the Age of Social Media — This panel, featuring Ilana Redstone, Lindsay Hoffman, and Chris Bail, addresses the impact of social media on knowledge production and how we can improve our practices in the age of unprecedented information exchange and exposure.
- Member Spotlight: The Fake News Marketplace, Justin McBrayer — In this presentation, Justin McBrayer offers a unified, interdisciplinary explanation for the fake news epidemic that centers around the idea of an information marketplace.
Blog Posts:
- How Publishing Incentives Shape Scientific Knowledge Production, by Nicole Barbaro
- Heterodox Academicians, Make Madison Your Model, by Jonathan Rauch
- Science Fictions: What Undermines the Search for Truth?, by Musa al-Gharbi
- The Crisis of Expertise, by Musa al-Gharbi
- Openness and Diligence in the Search for Truth, by Judith Shapiro
- Seizing the Means of Knowledge Production, by Musa al-Gharbi
- What Americans Think of Professors, by Sam Abrams
- Are Colleges and Universities Too Liberal? What the Research Says About The Political Composition of Campuses and Campus Climate, by Sam Abrams and Amna Khalid
- My Banned Course on Conservative Political Thought, by Bruce Gilley
- What Is the Purpose of Peer Review? by Harry Crane and Ryan Martin
Podcast Episodes:
- Mill Still Matters Today: Free Speech in the 21st Century, with Zach Rausch and Richard Reeves
- Constructing Campus Craziness, with Zach Rausch and Donald Moynihan
- An Unnecessary Defense of Reason and a Necessary Defense of the University’s Role in Advancing It, with Steven Pinker
- How False Beliefs Spread, with Cailin O’Connor
