Dinner & Dialogue: Should Academic Freedom Protect Racist or Sexist Research?

In 2016 the WashU Faculty Senate Council adopted a Statement on Freedom of Expression which argued that "the university should respect the expression of ideas, even those that are offensive or unpopular, by all members of the university community."  Should a college or university ever fire or otherwise sanction a member of their faculty on the basis of the content of the views that they defend in their research?  Should the principle of academic freedom rule out sanctioning a psychology professor who argues in favor of racial intelligence differences or a political science professor who argues that women should not have the right to vote?  Should universities pursue viewpoint diversity by protecting faculty who espouse noxious, nasty, or immoral positions, potentially risking harm or serious offense to students and other members of the university community?  Please join us for discussion with Daniel Layman (Philosophy) and Lesley Walker (Philosophy-Neuroscience-Psychology).  A light dinner will be served. 

All are welcome, but space is sometimes limited, so arrive early to ensure you get a seat!  

The Civil Society Initiative’s Dinner & Dialogue series present debates on timely ethical and political questions that model reasoning about value questions and the positive side of disagreement.

This event is sponsored by the Frick Initiatives at the Weidenbaum Center on the Economy, Government, and Public Policy and WashU's Minorities and Philosophy chapter.