Syllabus for My Course "Free Inquiry and The Modern World"

The clip above is from a conversation I had with the Hoover Institution’s Peter Robinson some three years ago. He asks me about the course I was teaching at Brown at the time, “Free Inquiry and the Modern World,” and I say a few words about three of the readings that I assigned to my students. You can see me smiling in the video as I think back to the experience of engaging with 20 bright kids on difficult, controversial topics, in a serious, rigorous manner.

I recently looked through the syllabus for this course—which I assembled and taught with the able assistance of my undergraduate TA, David Sacks—and decided to share a version of it here. Below you will find the course summary and its reading list. The back third of the course consists mostly of “case studies” in various public controversies of the moment. The course material consisted of articles and videos, some of which were submitted by students. I opted not to include those readings, though, since the discourse on some of these issues has changed in the years since I taught it.

This year is my last at Brown. Teaching has been a central part of my life for the last half-century. Even now, in my final semesters, I’m still learning from my students. Giving that up gives me some pause. Perhaps I will find a way to continue my teaching career informally, in a new way, here at The Glenn Show.

I am skeptical of the idea that online courses are an adequate replacement for the education a young person can get at a school like Brown. Still, there is clearly much these courses can offer, and to far more people, at a far more affordable price. There were only 20 students in class for “Free Inquiry and the Modern World,” which allowed a certain chemistry to develop in the classroom, and that dynamic does not translate to large online courses. But if I find a way to turn this course into an online offering, thousands could make use of it. That would be a good thing. I might take this or a similar project on a year or two down the line. (Let me know in the comments if that’s the sort of thing you’d enjoy.)

In the meantime, here are the books I read with my students a few years ago. Many of them are in the public domain I highly suggest purchasing those that aren’t, though I have also been told there are digital libraries that don’t necessarily care whether a book is in the public domain or not.

---

Jacques Louis David, “The Death of Socrates” (1787)

Course Summary

This course investigates the nature of free inquiry and the social restraints on public discourse, beginning with Plato and culminating with contemporary case studies. We reflect upon freedom of expression and conscience, emphasizing the role of the individual, the dissident, and the state. The course consists of two parts: First, we examine some key texts, ancient and modern, that deal with these issues. Then we will move-on to some case studies of issues which are so contentious that the manner in which they are discussed is subject to various measures of “political correctness” which may restrict freedom of inquiry.

Why Take the Class?

For two reasons: The quality of debate is foundational to progress in the public square. If you care about the state of our union and the policies our governments adopt, then thinking about how these discussions are held is essential. Understanding the nuances and dynamics of discussion makes you a more effective participant. Moreover, at the heart of this is an age-old epistemological problem: how do we discover “the truth”? Indeed, should truth-seeking always be prioritized? What role does the university play when seeking truth? What about in the political forum? When does politics make truth-seeking more difficult, or even impossible? Is there an ethics of truth-seeking? By examining of how inquiry and critical discussion are (and are not) carried out, this seminar will explore how we go about seeking the truth, and the challenges we face—from without and within—in doing so.

Readings

Week 1: An Ancient Introduction to Free Speech, the Gadfly, and the State

Plato, Apology.

Plato, Republic: “Allegory of the Cave”