Archive - Free the Inquiry

The Weekly: Plotting for Pluralism

A week of questions about dialogue, diversity, and the disciplines.

Oct 3 • Michael Regnier

University Leaders Embrace Civil Discourse, Curiosity, and Uncertainty in 2026 Remarks

By following up on these words with actions, campus leaders are contributing to the growing momentum and successes of the internal reform movement.

Oct 2 • Erin B. Shaw

How Does the American Public Assess Political Impartiality in Education?

Americans broadly endorse political impartiality in education — and then apply it more harshly to the other side.

Oct 1 • Eric Torres

28:18

September 2026

A New Book Blames Higher Ed's Decline on Cost, Bureaucracy, and Conformity

A new book takes a hard look at higher education, but also offers hope for reform

Sep 30

The Weekly: Can Cornell see the future?

And can anthropology get a witness?

Sep 26 • Michael Regnier

Are Universities Still the Enemy of "Truthiness"?

Universities recover trust not by projecting certainty, but by making criticism, correction, and revision visible.

Sep 23 • Dylan A Mordaunt

The Weekly: Can higher ed explain itself?

Maybe a national tour would help.

Sep 19 • Michael Regnier

Surprising Findings from 14,000 AI-Facilitated Student Conversations

Across nearly 14,000 conversations between students who disagree, discussions almost everyone expects to go badly mostly don't.

Sep 17

29:18

Writing Is Dead. Long Live Writing.

AI is making the art of writing more obsolete, and more necessary, than ever

Sep 16 • Scott Parker

Too many faculty are working in disciplinary echo chambers.

Here’s how we can start to break out.

Sep 14 • Nicole Barbaro Simovski, Ph.D.

The Weekly: The ABA drops its diversity mandate for law schools; Harvard faculty push back on viewpoint diversity

Plus, a new $1 million prize for academic courage and an attempt to price out affirmative action in Canadian research.

Sep 12 • Nicole Barbaro Simovski, Ph.D.

Can We Think Clearly About AI?

Michael Inzlicht argues that a meaningful slice of AI opposition is moral rather than practical — and that the difference matters.

Sep 10 • Michael Inzlicht

29:58

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