The Pursuit of Knowledge in a Democracy: Academic Freedom and Activism

The article explores current attacks on higher education in the United States, situating funding cuts, visa restrictions, and ideological interventions within a broader conservative project to weaken Enlightenment principles of freedom, equality, and public reason. It revisits the historical foundations of academic freedom and highlights the university’s dual role in producing reliable knowledge and fostering democratic citizenship. Against this backdrop, the text argues that safeguarding academic inquiry requires extending protections to all members of the academic community and raises the question of whether academics have not only the right but also a responsibility to engage in activism.