What “Snowflakes” Get Right About Free Speech

Abstract How do we balance the university’s fundamental commitments to freedom of expression and to equality? With the help of philosophy, political science, legal scholarship, and common sense, it is possible to draw a bright line around ideas that do not merit further debate. These ideas suggest that some people are inherently inferior human beings. It is not necessary to include arguments about such pseudo-science in universities to maintain freedom of academic research. The student protesters who object to such speakers correctly point out that the standing and participation of minority students, faculty, and staff in the university are not just desirable and beneficial for the advancement of knowledge, but also legally mandated. The chapter concludes that the advocacy of white supremacy and its response in protest movements constitute the fundamental question facing our democracy today.