Conservative critics of the academy complain about a lack of “viewpoint diversity” on college campuses. They insist that colleges are too politically “liberal,” conservative students are “afraid to speak their minds” and, thus, colleges should hire more “conservatives” and “liberal” professors should hide their opinions from students. To my mind, this is an overly simplistic way of understanding intellectual diversity. 

Let me be clear: Exposure to a variety of intellectual viewpoints is crucial to a liberal arts education. You should read Karl Marx, to explore how human lives are impacted by material conditions; Émile Durkheim, to consider the immersive nature of society and social forces; and Max Weber, to learn how modernity may rob us of enchantment. You should read Michel Foucault and Talal Asad, to see how power permeates our lives, and Victor Turner, to explore the importance of play and liminality. You should take courses from structuralists, poststructuralists, feminists, queer theorists, Straussian political philosophers and neoliberal economists. Learn something from all of them.

The diversity of scholarly pre-commitments and opinions among our faculty provides a tremendous opportunity for learning and is something to be celebrated. We absolutely need “viewpoint diversity.” However, to imagine diversity as a narrow binary mirroring the worldviews of the two main American political parties is far too constrictive. Of course, as professors we should honestly and accurately present perspectives other than our own. However, we have no obligation to hide our preferred opinions. That would be impossible. We all publish books and articles. Our opinions are public record. Furthermore, the more open we are about our own biases and preconceptions, the better our students can evaluate our arguments. 

Are there any viewpoints that are unacceptable on a college campus? Probably. Over time, the conventions defining acceptable discourse have changed. In previous centuries, college professors could advocate for slavery or argue that women should not vote. No longer. And we shouldn’t dismiss as “political correctness” the need to treat each other with respect. Stigmatizing people because of their race or because they are queer or Muslim or Jewish should make one feel uncomfortable. 

Interestingly, proponents of “viewpoint diversity” never seem to argue that “conservatives” must teach “liberal” ideas. They don’t insist that economists teach socialist theory. And they seem perfectly fine dictating what one may teach about Gaza. In my opinion, true “viewpoint diversity” must instead be rooted in a commitment to academic freedom. This is the essence of the liberal arts.

Vernon Schubel is a professor of religious studies and the current chair of Asian and Middle East studies at Kenyon College. His work focuses on Islam and he is the author of Teaching Humanity: An Alternative Introduction to Islam. He can be reached at schubel@kenyon.edu.