A collection of texts that provide the foundation for the University of Chicago's longstanding tradition of free expression, principles that are at the center of current debates within higher education and society more broadly. Free inquiry and expression are hotly contested, both on campus and in social and political life. Since its founding in the late nineteenth century, the University of Chicago has been at the forefront of conversations around free speech and academic freedom in higher education. The University's approach to free expression grew from a sterling reputation as a research university as well as a commitment to American pragmatism and democratic progress, all of which depended on what its first president referred to as the "complete freedom of speech on all subjects." In 2015, more than 100 years later, then University provost and president J. D. Isaacs and Robert Zimmer echoed this commitment, releasing a statement by a faculty committee led by law professor Geoffrey R. Stone that has come to be known as the Chicago Principles, now adopted or endorsed by one hundred US colleges and universities. These principles are just a part of the long-standing dialogue at the University of Chicago around freedom of expression--its meaning and limits. The Chicago Canon on Free Inquiry and Expression brings together exemplary documents - some published for the first time here - that explain and situate this ongoing conversation with an introductory essay that brings the tradition to light.
Throughout waves of historical and societal challenges, this first principle of free expression has required rearticulation and new interpretations. The documents gathered here include, among others, William Rainey Harper's "Freedom of Speech" (1900), the Kalven Committee's report on the University's role in political and social action (1967), and Geoffrey R. Stone's "Free Speech on Campus: A Challenge of Our Times" (2016). Together, the writings of the canon reveal how the Chicago tradition is neither static nor stagnant, but a vibrant experiment; a lively struggle to understand, practice, and advance free inquiry and expression.
At a time of nationwide campus speech debates, engaging with these texts and the questions they raise is essential to sustaining an environment of broad intellectual and ideological diversity. This book offers a blueprint for the future of higher education's vital work and points to the civic value of free expression.
Industry Reviews
"The Chicago Canon on Free Inquiry and Expression is a thorough and thought-provoking history of free expression at the University of Chicago. While the compendium documents the centrality of free expression from its founding to the present day, it is far more than static and documentary. Rather, this dynamic and evolving treatise provides a theoretical approach to free expression on college campuses today and clarifies the responsibility of the academy to encourage and stimulate the life of the mind and its courageous expression in all its many forms."
-- Roslyn Clark Artis, President of Benedict College
"This inspiring collection of carefully reasoned and eloquently phrased writings is a must-read for all members of all academic communities and for everyone else who is interested in the timeless and timely topics of academic freedom and free speech. The volume is a treasure trove of pertinent materials, each with enlightening introductory annotations. An unwavering commitment to open inquiry infuses the whole compendium, and The Chicago Canon invites reading, discussion, and debate on every campus that is-or should be-pursuing and implementing its own policies and practices to promote intellectual freedom."
-- Nadine Strossen, author of Free Speech: What Everyone Needs to Know (R)
"I was so fortunate to spend what were easily the two most intellectually formative years of my life at the University of Chicago, as a postdoctoral researcher based in the Committee on Human Development. I often say I got my degrees elsewhere but my true education from the University of Chicago. This university is unlike any other in the degree to which it has constantly articulated and reflected upon its purpose, always seeking to remain true to it in spite of the inevitable periodic hurricanes of political pressure that tried to blow it off course. The Chicago Canon on Free Inquiry and Expression tells the story of how this great university's first principle of free inquiry and expression came to be. The documents collected in this volume will inspire anyone who cares about the future of universities, which should be everyone, because Chicago is one of the few schools that has come through the recurring and contemporary periods of unrest with its fundamental commitments and stature enhanced. The University of Chicago is a beacon for universities around the world, and this book explains why."
-- Jonathan Haidt, author of The Anxious Generation
"There is no force more potent than a free and unfettered imagination. Creating the conditions that support and protect this freedom is the closest thing, in our secular age, to a sacred charge. It is the first principle of advance in human knowledge, social justice, and creativity writ large. This vibrant, principled, inspiring compendium is a testament to the University of Chicago's fundamental commitment to free expression. The lessons here abound for students, scholars, artists, and citizens alike."
-- Ayad Akhtar, Pulitzer-prize winning novelist and playwright
"The Chicago Canon on Free Inquiry and Expression is a timely contribution to the contemporary conversation (and debate) about the role of intellectual freedom and free speech in an increasingly divided society. The Canon's publication comes during a period of an alarming rise in book censorship, growing encumberment of academic freedom, and new levels of participation in and policing of campus speech, and provides invaluable insight into the necessary evolution of thinking on free inquiry and expression at one of the most influential institutions of higher learning in the country." -- Tracie D. Hall, University of Washington Information School and former executive director of the American Library Association
