Just What is Academic Freedom? How Does It Relate to Free Speech?

Nicholas A. Christakis

11 a.m., April 27, 2025

Join us this Sunday, either online or in person, as we watch three short videos on the concept of academic freedom. Each one has a slightly different take on the concept of free speech, academic freedom and truth as it relates to academic freedom. They discuss many people’s confusion about this critical subject at this time.

Let’s watch and discuss:

1. “Why academic freedom is not the same as free speech”
Michael Bérubé is an Edwin Erle Sparks Professor of Literature at Pennsylvania State University. He is the author of What’s Liberal About the Liberal Arts? Classroom Politics and “Bias” in Higher Education.
Preview this 16-minute video from May, 2024:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v4msRgJmMp4

2. “Academic freedom: What it is, what it isn’t and why there’s confusion”

In 2012, the Scholars at Risk Network, of which Robert Quinn is the founding Executive Director, received the University of Oslo’s human rights award for “relentless work to protect the human rights of academics and for having inspired and engaged others to stress the importance of academic freedom.”
This 7-minute video is from 2005:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NGGqS2aVAzg

3. “Without academic freedom, we might never see the truth. Here’s why.”

Nicholas A. Christakis is a physician, sociologist, and director of the Human Nature Lab at Yale University, where he is the Sterling Professor of Social and Natural Science. His most recent book is Blueprint: The Evolutionary Origins of a Good Society.
Preview this 6-minute video from 2005:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7G1nk-iCHEA

Join us to view watch videos and discuss our thoughts about what we heard. Do these videos clarify our thoughts on this timely subject?

Facilitator: Alex Havasy is a long-time active member of the Humanist Community who has a wide interest in subjects related to Humanism.

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