Speak Freely: Why Universities Must Defend Free Speech

Abstract

There has been a rise in recent discussions about the purpose of higher education. Due to rising costs, political turmoil, and a perceived overabundance of censoring conservative voices, many are questioning whether universities are just bastions of left-leaning, socialist schools of thought. In his book Speak Freely: Why Universities Must Defend Free Speech, Keith E. Whittington, a constitutional law professor from Princeton University with a background in history, uses history, constitutional law, and philosophy to show how foundational free speech and intellectual freedom are to the American university system. These principles allow for the exchange of ideas in an environment meant to educate and promote intellectual thought. Whittington writes that universities have a mission to “produce and disseminate knowledge.” In order to accomplish those goals, students and faculty must be able to listen and freely discuss different forms of thought and expression in order to substantiate, strengthen, change, or produce knowledge.