Does the growing clamor from university administrators for “diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice” include intellectual or ideological diversity? Should it? Either way, we may soon be able to measure the level of “viewpoint diversity” at major public universities in Florida. According to this report in Inside Higher Ed (IHE), a few days ago the Florida Legislature enacted a bill calling for a survey of the political beliefs of public college and university professors in Florida. (More details about this bill are available here.) This bill, which still needs to be signed into law by Governor Ron DeSantis, would require the Florida State Board of Education to ask professors annually about their political beliefs in order to “assess the status of intellectual freedom and viewpoint diversity.” Hat tip: Brian Leiter.
prior probability 
Interesting premise. However, I could easily see how individual educators or even entire institutions could potentially “game” this new policy. I find it to be interesting that all of a sudden now intellectual diversity is a talking point, after centuries of ideological domination within the universities.
Ironically, while college professors are overwhelmingly left-leaning, I still have seen some organic examples of intellectual diversity. For example, I had a political science professor who subverted the right-left continuum through an amoral pragmatist with an unwavering adherence to the data (some of his policy prescriptions were abhorrent, but at least it was a break from the status quo of academia). Just recently I found out that Aeon Skoble (https://www.learnliberty.org/speakers/aeon-j-skoble/) teaches at my alma mater. He was there when I was a student, but I wasn’t a libertarian back then nor did I take any classes in the philosophy department.
Then again there are some libertarian and conservative pockets throughout academia. Auburn, George Mason, Hilsdale, Grove City College, etc.
exactly right; surveys can’t tell us how many people are lying, let alone what the “optimal level” of lying is!!!
I could certainly picture prospective professors lying to just get in the door. Claiming they are more tolerant of non-progressive ideologies than what they are.
Analogous to officer workers overstating their knowledge of Microsoft Office applications. A little white lie to get in the door. There may be some folks who are calculated enough to lie in order to advance an ideological goal.
As an unrelated aside, I absolutely hate microsoft and anything to do with microsoft …
I have to use excel, word, and outlook so frequently at work, I am use to it.
However, I absolutely hate Powepoint. I haven’t used it since college and I would like to keep it that way.
I hate the fact that I now have to sign into Word, and outlook is garbage.
Oh yes! Prior to our corporate network upgrading to single sign-on, every single damn time.
PS: I agree that most powerpoint presentations are absolute garbage; my understanding is that Amazon has banned power point!
That’s too funny. +1 Bezos.
fyi: https://www.inc.com/geoffrey-james/jeff-bezos-banned-powerpoint-its-arguably-smartest-management-move-that-hes-ever-made.html
Wow, it literally increased overall management productivity by 25%?!
I know from past experience that PowerPoint presentations are a staple of college lectures. Have you shared this article with any of your colleagues? I am curious to what their impressions are regarding PowerPoint lectures and the prospect of eliminating the tool.
The phrase “death by powerpoint” comes to mind, and yes, in my role as academic gadfly I have shared this with other academics (alas, to little avail)…
Outside of giving a completely verbal lecture there are few alternatives.
Have you ever tried lecturing using the Socratic methods? I am curious to how that would work.
I went to relatively small college ( classroom size on average was 50 students), in that type environment. such a teaching style is possible. But almost never implemented.
As it happens, the Socratic method is what “old school” or traditional law professors like to use in their law classes, but as I teach undergraduates, I stick with lectures in which I pepper some Socratic questions here and there.
That makes sense. I suppose Socratic teaching is more applicable to seasoned students looking to gain a great extent of expertise.
It is absolutely crucial for shaping competent lawyers. While I have little knowledge of law or the process of obtaining the skills to become one, but it seems like a profession that would demand a high degree of critical thinking and quick wits. I would surmise that the mind-bending logic of such questioning may have foster superior thinking skills.
I would say it’s too bad you don’t have more law students. I think we could use more coasean lawyers.
hear, hear!
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