Robert P. George, Conservative intellectual and professor at Princeton, came to speak to the Buckley Program the necessity of breaking out of “groupthink” in order to achieve a true liberal arts education and overcome the budding challenge of campus illiberalism.
Elite colleges and universities, especially those among the Ivy League schools, lean noticeably left on the political spectrum, and Yale is no exception. In 2023, 98.4 percent of political contributions by Yale professors went to Democratic-affiliated groups, and in a survey of Princeton’s incoming class of 2026, only about 11.4% would describe themselves as “either somewhat or very right-leaning.” This has raised questions about the value in having a more politically-balanced institution of higher learning. Would a more even distribution of political viewpoints among students and faculty be better suited to the goals of a university—holistically? If so, how could we bring this about?
On February 1st, Dr. Robert P. George visited Yale University at the invitation of the William F. Buckley, Jr. Program to speak about the concerning increase of illiberalism on campuses across the nation. Dr. George, a respected conservative thinker, currently serves as the McCormick Professor of Jurisprudence and Director of the James Madison Program in American Ideals and Institutions at Princeton.
Dr. George argued that the politicization of a place of learning is antithetical to the three-fold mission of a university: to pursue, preserve, and transmit knowledge. In order to fulfill these objectives, a liberal arts education must allow the knowledge-seeker to engage and grapple with contentious or heterodox ideas in order to not just understand what the truth is, but why it is the truth and how we arrive at that point. The politicized campus does not allow for the clashing of ideas, which is where true understanding emerges.
In his diagnosis, he attributed campus illiberalism not primarily to discrimination against Conservative voices, but rather “groupthink,” leading to the denial of students and faculty to seek truth. Groupthink, coined in 1971 by psychologist Irving Janis, describes the phenomenon that occurs when there is a lack of dissent within a group, leading to conformity and irrational decision-making. Dr. George described how groupthink on campuses makes an enemy of viewpoint diversity and uses emotion to blur the line between beliefs and identity.
In his estimation, the way to remedy this illness is for students and faculty to think critically, to seek out opinions that differ from theirs, and be willing to engage with anyone advocating for a position based on reason, argument, and evidence.
He highlighted his co-teaching experience with Cornel West at Princeton, showing students diverse perspectives in real-time, which significantly influenced both the students and the instructors themselves. Additionally, Dr. George has demonstated his commitment to free speech by defending Peter Singer, a colleague with contentious views on euthanasia and infanticide, emphasizing the importance of academic freedom and the avoidance of groupthink, despite his strong disagreements with Dr. Singer.
Several students expressed their desire to see more intellectual diversity and freedom of speech on campus. Trevor MacKay (‘25), president of the Buckley Program, said, “…there are still places at Yale where intellectual humility, civility, and the pursuit of truth are practiced. The trick is that one must actively seek them out because unfortunately, it does not seem to be the priority of the Yale administration to cultivate such virtues. ”
Trevor continued, “I wish that students and professors were more politically and intellectually diverse. Such diversity enables the discussion of truth in a productive manner. There need to be more classes taught by conservative professors. Students and faculty need not agree with them, but the very opportunity to engage with them would be immensely beneficial. Having conservative professors in the humanities especially would increase the range of scholarship and dialogue that Yale outputs.”
William Barbee (‘26), speakers director for the Buckley Program and moderator of the event, shared, “I think that Professor George hit the nail on the head with what he identified as the central virtues of education…I have personal experience with professors who said similar words to me, and rather than being frightening, it was incredibly liberating to feel the pressure of traditional success (i.e., grades, money, status) lifted from my shoulders. If every professor could emphasize that aspect of the university for their students, I think much of the hostility and negativity associated with college could be seriously remedied.”
Several attendees agreed with the points laid out by Dr. George, one student particularly pointing to Dr. George’s statement that we must “disconnect our emotions from our beliefs,” as it can be a challenge for students on campus of all political persuasions.
However, there was also some pushback from students against Dr. George’s view of free speech in academia. During the Q & A, a student asked if there are beliefs that just go “too far” and can raise questions about a professor’s competency and fitness to lead the classroom. Dr. George defended his free speech fundamentalism, saying that if someone is truly seeking knowledge and using reason, arguments, and evidence, they must be protected in their pursuit of the truth and be welcomed in the university. After the event, another student disagreed with this answer, saying “free speech fundamentalism might be a step too far” and was skeptical of Dr. George’s defense of someone as “horrifying” as Peter Singer.
While there were students on both sides of the issue, perhaps having more speaker events where students can be challenged and intellectually stimulated is exactly part of the solution Professor George hopes can lead our generation one step closer to embrace humility, civility, curiosity, and the pursuit of truth.
The full recording of the event can be viewed here.