Speakers
- Anton FordAffiliationAssociate Professor of Philosophy, University of Chicago
- Randall KennedyAffiliationMichael R. Klein Professor of Law, Harvard Law School
- Keith WhittingtonAffiliationDavid Boies Professor of Law, Yale Law School
- Frances Lee (moderator)AffiliationProfessor of Politics and Public Affairs, Princeton University
Details

Please join us for a wide-ranging conversation about the philosophical and political stakes of academic neutrality, academic activism, and academic freedom - and the ways in which they intersect. Numerous peer institutions have recently adopted neutrality policies, which prohibit universities from adopting positions on political and social matters not directly tied to the mission of the university. Yet the merits of neutrality, as well as its feasibility, remain highly contested.
This event brings together three leading scholars who hold a range of different positions on these questions in order to discuss whether, when, and how universities should take institutional stances on social and political issues, and the implications of such stances for academic freedom. Questions from the audience will follow. This event is open to all members of the Princeton community and the public.
- Presented by the Princeton Council on Academic Freedom
- Co-sponsored by the James Madison Program in American Ideals and Institutions
- Co-sponsored by the School of Public and International Affairs
- Co-sponsored by the Department of Politics
- Co-sponsored by the Academic Freedom Initiative @ University Center for Human Values