NY Times Op-Ed: A Princeton Professor’s Advice To Young Conservatives

New York Times Op-Ed: A Princeton Professor’s Advice to Young Conservatives, by  Robert P. George (McCormick Professor of Jurisprudence, Princeton University; Nootbaar Honorary Distinguished Professor of Law, Pepperdine Caruso Law School; Google Scholar):

As a professor who is known to dissent from progressive ideologies that are dominant at universities such as Princeton, where I’ve taught for nearly 40 years, I’m frequently asked by students for advice about how to navigate a campus they worry will be hostile to them. Some are pro-Israel, or politically and socially conservative, or religiously observant.

They fear being treated unfairly by faculty members who are hostile to their beliefs. Many are afraid of being regarded as outcasts by their more liberal or progressive peers. They worry about being excluded from academic opportunities or not treated equitably in social or other extracurricular activities.

To these students I say, with regret: You’re right to worry. I’ve seen these things happen. ...

My advice to students who fear that they will be subjected to discrimination and double standards is this: Don’t hide and don’t be silent. Exercise and, if necessary, defend your right to think for yourself and to dissent from campus orthodoxies. ...

Resist the impulse to self-censor when speaking your mind might offend the sensibilities of people who insist on others holding the same opinions they hold. That takes courage. Muster it. Model it.

And there is still more you can do: Defend others’ right to think for themselves and express their views. When someone is targeted for “cancellation” by an outraged mob for expressing an honest opinion, stand up in support of that person, even if you do not hold the same view.

You should be the boy or girl on the playground who rushes to the defense of the kid who is being bullied. When you defend the robust right of free speech for all, you help to secure a central value without which the university cannot pursue its mission as a truth-seeking institution.

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