Diversity and Viewpoints

Abstract

Abstract The doctrine of viewpoint diversity has provided a seemingly intellectual basis for campus misinformation. Yet that allegedly fresh doctrine, this chapter argues, is a semantic repackaging of unscientific partisan polemics. Defining intellectual diversity based on an obligatory balance between partisan perspectives creates artificial viewpoint parity, not a diverse spectrum of social and political perspectives. This chapter shows how polemics about viewpoint diversity threaten intellectual diversity, academic freedom, and First Amendment freedoms not only in universities but also in political journalism and state educational policies. The chapter advocates a robust definition of diversity on college campuses that includes a wealth of people and perspectives far beyond privileged identity categories or partisan stereotypes. Demonstrating that obligatory parity among two dominant political ideologies impedes meaningful intellectual diversity is a necessary prelude to encouraging more constructive public discourse about higher education.