Intellectual and Viewpoint Diversity: Importance, Scope and Bounds

In recent decades, the ideological diversity of faculties in the United States has declined considerably, and this has arguably had implications for a number of other aspects of academic life. Efforts to promote intellectual and viewpoint diversity are, however, often met with skepticism, and also with reasonable concerns over threats to the autonomy and integrity of academic disciplines and institutions. Clarifying the role, scope, and bounds of intellectual and viewpoint diversity within academic life in ways that respect the scholarly standards of disciplines is thus of critical importance. The role of, and concerns surrounding, intellectual diversity and viewpoint diversity are, moreover, not identical. In this paper, I put forward definitions for intellectual diversity and viewpoint diversity, along with related notions of ideological and political diversity. Data are presented on the decline of ideological and political diversity among faculties, along with evidence concerning the possible causes for this decline. I then present arguments for the importance of intellectual and viewpoint diversity in the pursuit of knowledge, in the transmission of that knowledge to students, and in its dissemination and application to broader society. I put forward proposals for educational leaders, faculty, and students for engaging with or, when appropriate, cultivating intellectual and viewpoint diversity in a manner that respects the scholarly standards of disciplines. I discuss what is at stake with these matters in the present context concerning the nature of the university itself, and its purposes in the generation, preservation, and transmission of knowledge.