The Humanist Magazine interviews FIRE President Greg Lukianoff about ‘Unlearning Liberty‘ in its May/June volume. In this extensive interview, Greg unpacks the major themes of the book. Here is a preview:
The Humanist: One of the things you lament in your book is that differences of opinion are no longer viewed as opportunities to learn or as chances to think through ideas. Please say more about that.
Lukianoff: Speech codes and changed attitudes about freedom of speech have created all of these negative feedback loops for expression and critical thinking. As you censor unpopular opinions you end up with classroom environments where individuals can’t really speak their minds. You also end up with students mostly talking to people they already agree with. The research on this is very strong—when you talk to people you already agree with, it thwarts development of critical thinking skills, and it makes people much more confident in what they already believe. It tends to make people more adamant, and exacerbates the serious problem of groupthink.
The whole interview can be read here or in the May/June print edition of The Humanist.
