About this episode

Cass Sunstein discusses the issues facing modern universities and the importance of viewpoint diversity in academic life.

What's actually wrong with the modern university? Today on Heterodox Out Loud, renowned legal scholar and public intellectual Cass Sunstein joins John Tomasi to examine one of the most important, and contentious, questions in higher education today. Drawing on his decades of experience at institutions including the University of Chicago and Harvard, Sunstein reflects on what universities get right, where they fall short, and why debates over viewpoint diversity have become so central to the future of academic life.

People in this episode

Host: John Tomasi

Guest: Cass Sunstein

Topics covered

• higher education
• viewpoint diversity
• university shortcomings
• academic life
• public intellectualism

Keywords

• modern university
• Cass Sunstein
• viewpoint diversity
• higher education
• academic debates

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: University of Chicago, Harvard

More episodes of Heterodox Out Loud

• An Update from Heterodox Out Loud · July 21, 2026 · 2 min
• The Skill That Built America Has Vanished From Universities with Danielle Allen | Ep 47 · June 30, 2026 · 44 min
• Universities Have a Trust Problem. This President Is Trying to Fix It | Ep 44 · March 31, 2026 · 48 min
• Can a Public University Stay Politically Neutral? with Ed Seidel | Ep 43 · February 24, 2026 · 55 min
• The University in the Age of AI: Rebuilding Trust, Truth, and Teaching with Kavita Bala | Ep 42 · January 27, 2026 · 54 min
• Can Universities Change Without Government Intervention? With Mary Kate Cary | Ep 41 · December 16, 2025 · 49 min

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Heterodox Out Loud podcast page.