In this episode of Heterodox Out Loud, John Tomasi speaks with Eric Kaufmann. Eric is a Professor of Politics at the University of Buckingham. He is the author of several books, including Shall the Religious Inherit the Earth: Religion, Demography and Politics in the 21st Century and Whiteshift: Populism, Immigration, and the Future of White Majorities. His research interests include political demography, nationalism, and ethnicity. Heterodox Out Loud  Heterodox Out Loud with John Tomasi is...

In this episode of Heterodox Out Loud, John Tomasi speaks with Yascha Mounk. Yascha is a German born political scientist, author, and lecturer known for his research on the rise of populism and the challenges to liberal democracy. He has authored several influential books, including "Stranger in My Own Country", "The People vs. Democracy", and his new book, "The Identity Trap: A Story of Ideas and Power in Our Time" explores the rise of identity politics and its implications for social...

Heterodox Out Loud, hosted by HxA president, John Tomasi, is an ongoing podcast featuring conversations with people across the academy and beyond. Listen to insightful, thought-provoking episodes from the HxA community by adding our podcast to your lineup.

In our final episode of Heterodox Out Loud, we will listen to the first blog post on the Heterodox Academy website: “Welcome to Heterodox Academy.” It was written in September of 2015 by Jonathan Haidt, sharing his vision of building a community of people who treasure open inquiry, viewpoint diversity, and constructive disagreement.  Let us know what you think! For comments and questions email [email protected].  This episode was hosted by Zach Rausch, and produced by...

In our final episode of Heterodox Out Loud, we will listen to the first blog post on the Heterodox Academy website: “Welcome to Heterodox Academy.” (https://heterodoxacademy.org/blog/welcome-to-heterodox-academy/)It was written in September of 2015 by Jonathan Haidt, sharing his vision of building a community of people who treasure open inquiry, viewpoint diversity, and constructive disagreement. Let us know what you think! For comments and questions email [email protected]...

In this episode of Heterodox Out Loud (https://heterodoxacademy.org/heterodoxoutloud/), we speak with Jonathan Zimmerman, Professor of History of Education at the University of Pennsylvania about why social class is one of the last acceptable prejudices in many academic circles — and what we can do about it.Jon has written numerous books, including The Amateur Hour: A History of College Teaching in America (https://www.amazon.com/Amateur-Hour-History-College-Teaching-ebook/dp/B084Q383FG) and...

In this special episode of Heterodox Out Loud (https://heterodoxacademy.org/heterodoxoutloud/), recorded in-person at Heterodox Academy’s 2022 conference in Denver, we speak with Glenn Loury, Professor of the Social Sciences and Economics at Brown University, and John McWhorter, Professor of Linguistics at Columbia University. John has authored over 20 books on issues of race and language and writes a widely-read biweekly newsletter for the New York Times. Glenn has published numerous...

In this special episode of Heterodox Out Loud (https://heterodoxacademy.org/heterodoxoutloud/), recorded in-person at Heterodox Academy’s 2022 conference in Denver, we speak with Batya Ungar-Sargon about the declining trust in American journalism, whether trust is warranted at all, and how higher education may be contributing to this growing problem.Our guest is Batya Ungar-Sargon, deputy opinion-editor of Newsweek magazine. Batya is the author of Bad News: How Woke Media Is Undermining...

In this episode of Heterodox Out Loud (https://heterodoxacademy.org/heterodoxoutloud/), we explore the history of free speech, how the understanding of it has changed, and the volatile swings in public opinion about this core value. Our guest is Jacob Mchangama, a Danish lawyer, human-rights advocate, and social commentator. He is the founder and director of Justitia, a Copenhagen-based think tank focusing on human rights, freedom of speech, and the rule of law. He’s also the author of the...

In this episode of Heterodox Out Loud (https://heterodoxacademy.org/heterodoxoutloud/), we look at a deeply counterintuitive claim within the free speech movement in higher education: that mandatory faith statements at universities may actually support and advance academic freedom. Our guest is Shirley Mullen, who served as president of Houghton College for 15 years, retiring in May of 2021. Prior to becoming Houghton’s president, she served at various times as a classroom professor, chief...

In this episode of Heterodox Out Loud (https://heterodoxacademy.org/heterodoxoutloud/), we’re giving our podcast community a first look at the vital conversations to expect at HxA Conference 2022 (https://heterodoxacademy.org/conference-2022/) in Denver this June, as we host a discussion between two of our conference speakers on the crisis of trust in higher education—a central theme in both our upcoming conference and summer programming.Our guests on the show are Kyle Vitale, HxA’s Director...

In this special episode of Heterodox Out Loud (https://heterodoxacademy.org/heterodoxoutloud/), we’re sharing excerpts from a personal and wide-ranging interview between Heterodox Academy President, John Tomasi, and philosopher turned podcast host, Zohar Atkins.We hear Tomasi discuss his deep interest in philosophy, how skepticism and faith can be friends, and the challenges he’s faced throughout his career, both as an academic and now as president of Heterodox Academy. You can hear the full...

In this episode of Heterodox Out Loud (https://heterodoxacademy.org/heterodoxoutloud/), we explore the flawed human tendency to reject and censor opposing arguments — especially when they contradict values and beliefs that are held with conviction. Our guest on the show, Robert George, the sixth McCormick Professor of Jurisprudence and Director of the James Madison Program in American Ideals and Institutions at Princeton University, explains how we can remain confident and passionate in our...

In this episode of Heterodox Out Loud (https://heterodoxacademy.org/heterodoxoutloud/), we explore a concept revered by many and challenged by few in higher education—the value of diversity. We look beyond the surface of this belief, and consider how different kinds of diversity impact team building, decision making, and collective intelligence.  Our guest on the show is Ravi Kudesia, Assistant Professor at the Fox School of Business at Temple University. He teaches courses on Power,...

On part 1 of this episode of Heterodox Out Loud (https://heterodoxacademy.org/heterodoxoutloud/), we’ll listen to Jonathan Haidt’s edited summary (https://heterodoxacademy.org/blog/bbs-paper-on-lack-of-political-diversity/) of a seminal academic paper that helped lead to the founding of Heterodox Academy. The original paper, “Political Diversity Will Improve Social Psychological Science,...

On part 2 of this episode of Heterodox Out Loud (https://heterodoxacademy.org/heterodoxoutloud/), we continue exploring how political bias in academia can solidify into orthodoxies that undermine truth-seeking and critical inquiry.We speak with co-author of Political Diversity Will Improve Social Psychological Science (https://heterodoxacademy.org/blog/bbs-paper-on-lack-of-political-diversity/), Lee Jussim, Social Psychologist and Distinguished Professor at Rutgers University. Lee has...

On today's episode of Heterodox Out Loud (https://heterodoxacademy.org/heterodoxoutloud/), we explore the possibility that the ongoing crisis of free inquiry and viewpoint diversity in universities is not a sudden aberration, but instead the inevitable outcome of a rigid, top-down university system. From undermining students’ natural curiosity to increasing stress and anxiety, we talk with Dylan Selterman—Social-Personality Psychologist and Associate Teaching Professor at Johns Hopkins...

Why do some academic fields have political disparities among professors between 40/100:1 (liberals to conservatives), while other fields have little to no disparity at all? For answers, we talk with John Paul Wright, professor of Criminology at the University of Cincinnati. He explains that the political disparities that exist can be understood if we dive into the research on the development of criminal gangs.John’s blog: “Political Disparities in the Academy: It’s More Than Self-Selection...

Today’s episode explores the now widespread use of diversity, equity, and inclusion statements to hire, recruit, and promote in higher education. Our guest, Alex Small, Professor of Physics at California State Polytechnic University, argues that while inclusion statements are often well-meaning attempts to uplift compassionate teachers and mentors, they may be simply filtering for ideological conformity and slogan-savvy careerists. Alex’s blog: “Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Statements:...

Today’s show is our second episode about Intersectionality, an academic theory that began with important facts but slowly turned into an unhelpful ideology. We sit down with Chris Martin—HxA Co-founder and Psychologist at Oglethorpe University—who argues that Intersectionality can be a valuable tool, but requires those on the political left and right to concede a few critical points. Chris’s blog: “Intersectionality Is a Political Football—Here’s Why it Doesn’t Have to Be...

Today’s episode is all about the purpose of higher education. We sit down with Heterodox Academy’s first president, John Tomasi, to discuss the future of university life and a new value that he thinks should guide us forward. Before joining HxA, John was Romeo Elton 1843 Professor of Natural Theology at Brown University.John’s blog: “Curiosity U (https://heterodoxacademy.org/blog/curiosity-u/).”Let us know what you think! For comments and questions email [email protected]...

This episode—released one year after the U.S. Capitol Riot—examines the role of the “scholar-activist” and how their good intentions may unintentionally lead to disastrous ends. We sit down and discuss these topics with Appalachian State University professors: Martha McCaughey, Professor of Sociology, and Scott Welsh, Associate Professor of Communication.Martha and Scott’s blog: “University Professors After the U.S. Capitol Riot: When Becoming Part of the Solution Is Part of the Problem...

We’re living in difficult times. Our nation is increasingly polarized and our campuses are plagued with distrust and fear. As we move into 2022, we share three blogs that we hope will inspire, ease divisions, and cultivate a sense of wonder and humility. Today’s episode includes Jonathan Haidt’s essay, “True Diversity Requires Generosity of Spirit (https://heterodoxacademy.org/blog/true-diversity-requires-generosity-of-spirit/),” Erec Smith’s “A Rhetoric of Common Values...

Today’s episode examines how we treat our ideological adversaries and how responses to them often come down to a numbers game. We sit down with Christian Gonzalez, a Ph.D. student in political theory at Georgetown University and a Writing Fellow at Heterodox Academy, to discuss a disturbing story about power, human nature, and public discourse.Christian’s Blog: On Social Power Dynamics in Political Discourse...

Are certain ideas inherently dangerous—and when can we reasonably separate a set of ideas from the aggressive tactics of those who push them forward?This week on the Heterodox Out Loud podcast, we’re sitting down with Ian Storey, an associate fellow at the Hannah Arendt Center for Politics and Humanities at Bard College, to explore these important questions, especially as they relate to modern conversations around Intersectionality, deplatforming, social media, and the path toward civility in...