THE DIVERSITY PRINCIPLE: THE STORY OF A TRANSFORMATIVE IDEA (REMOTE)

As a war on diversity upends government, corporate, and education policies, the history of the idea of diversity has never been more important. Berkeley professor David Oppenheimer chronicles how the diversity principle—the idea that people with different backgrounds, experiences, and viewpoints produce better work by engaging with one another—was a core tenet of the first modern research university, founded in Germany in 1810; the inspiration for John Stuart Mill’s On Liberty; a touchstone of academic freedom; and a foundation of 20th century efforts toward equality. Oppenheimer tells the story of the diversity principle through the lives of its advocates over the past two centuries.