Uploaded June 2026 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
Viewpoint diversity has become a central concept in discussions about higher education reform. But what does it really mean, and what does it look like when it works?
In a recent Substack essay, casssunstein.substack.com/p/viewpoint-diversity, legal scholar Cass Sunstein argues that the current debate only skims the surface. Sunstein argues that viewpoint diversity isn't a value in itself, but depends on having the right kinds of disagreement, the right conditions for intellectual conflict, and a shared commitment to following the argument wherever it leads.
Join HxA President John Tomasi in conversation with Cass Sunstein, Robert Walmsley University Professor at Harvard Law School, for a candid discussion about what viewpoint diversity requires to support cultures of free inquiry on campus. Sunstein will reflect on his experiences, notably at the University of Chicago Law School in the 1980s, where positions were developed through intellectual argument and the merit of an idea mattered more than who held it. Sunstein makes the case for what a genuinely intellectually lively institution looks like and what higher education stands to gain from it.
This 60-minute public webinar will include time for live audience Q&A. Register today to join the discussion! us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_t-PUQ7dKRv-N8sHBJTsjbA
Viewpoint diversity has become a central concept in discussions about higher education reform. But what does it really mean, and what does it look like when it works?
In a recent Substack essay, casssunstein.substack.com/p/viewpoint-diversity, legal scholar Cass Sunstein argues that the current debate only skims the surface. Sunstein argues that viewpoint diversity isn't a value in itself, but depends on having the right kinds of disagreement, the right conditions for intellectual conflict, and a shared commitment to following the argument wherever it leads.
Join HxA President John Tomasi in conversation with Cass Sunstein, Robert Walmsley University Professor at Harvard Law School, for a candid discussion about what viewpoint diversity requires to support cultures of free inquiry on campus. Sunstein will reflect on his experiences, notably at the University of Chicago Law School in the 1980s, where positions were developed through intellectual argument and the merit of an idea mattered more than who held it. Sunstein makes the case for what a genuinely intellectually lively institution looks like and what higher education stands to gain from it.
This 60-minute public webinar will include time for live audience Q&A. Register today to join the discussion! us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_t-PUQ7dKRv-N8sHBJTsjbA
