Core academic freedom for faculty means freedom in research and teaching. Brian Leiter argues that limitations to this freedom are to be imposed only by the discipline in which the faculty member works, as assessed by other experts in the discipline. Academic freedom is justified for a reason given by Wilhelm von Humboldt and John Stuart Mill in the 19th century: it is conducive to the discovery and dissemination of truths about the world. In addition to reviewing this philosophical argument, Leiter will address legal approaches to academic freedom in the US, the UK, and Germany, as well as recent attempts to limit academic freedom by attributing magical powers to the mere expression of certain ideas.

Interested attendees may review a paper by Leiter on this topic.