You can’t walk across Harvard’s campus without seeing Veritas everywhere. “Truth” is Harvard’s brand, and it is a noble one. What should a university stand for if not the pursuit of knowledge? This quest rightly drives Harvard’s world-class teaching and research. But the pursuit of truth will falter without a commitment to academic freedom.
Harvard is not the only institution of higher education struggling with academic freedom. In some institutions, the threat to academic freedom is from an illiberal left that wants to shrink the boundaries of acceptable discussion. At others, it is from right-wing politicians who want a single version of history taught as orthodoxy. Whether the source of threats is progressive or conservative, academic freedom needs more consistent defenders.
It is for that reason that more than ninety members of the Harvard faculty have recently banded together to form the Council on Academic Freedom at Harvard. Students and administrators certainly ought to defend free speech on campus, but faculty have a special responsibility. They are the ones who set the standards for intellectual exchange in seminar rooms and lecture halls. We members of the Council place ourselves in different places on the political spectrum. We have plenty on the left and in the center, and even some on the right. Some of us are religious, some are not. We come from all sorts of academic disciplines. As scholars, writers, and educators, we are united by the commitment to promote free inquiry, intellectual diversity, and civil discourse on campus.
More than thirty years ago, the Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences adopted “Free Speech Guidelines” that declare, “Free speech is uniquely important to the University because we are a community committed to reason and rational discourse.” We aim to revitalize those commitments.
Our Council intends to be a constructive presence on campus. We plan to organize workshops, invite lecturers, and teach courses. When necessary, we will also hold the university accountable so that it lives up to its stated principles. We will help ensure that campus leaders respect Harvard’s commitments to academic freedom. We will protest if those freedoms are violated. We will also provide solidarity with Harvard scholars who are threatened with penalty because of their speech.
Academic freedom does not mean freedom from criticism – quite the opposite. We would like to see a more vigorous exchange of ideas on campus. But those engaged in debate and discussion in a university should be able to expect that critiques be reasoned and civil enough to allow that exchange. Because Harvard is a university committed to the pursuit of truth, students and professors need to be able to express a broad range of ideas without suffering social or professional sanction. Consider this our promise to do what we can to make that a reality at America’s oldest institution of higher learning.
Membership is open to all members of the Harvard faculty who support these ideals. We hope you’ll join us.
Contact the Council here.