Protecting diversity of voices and promoting courageous collaboration across difference

Free Speech & Peace

The greatest advances in human progress — personal, social, and scientific — flow from our ability to freely and productively exchange ideas and consider a diverse range of perspectives. A commitment to the preservation of civil liberties, including freedom of speech, assembly, and conscience, is critical to building on the culture of openness that has allowed millions to discover and benefit from a diversity of ideas.

Continuing to benefit from free exchange of ideas begins with a focus on the core principles that drive our civil liberties, but requires equally robust exploration of how to build a culture that enables people to peacefully hold deep difference and allows for productive disagreement.

Understanding the drivers of intolerance and how to mitigate the harm caused by those who respond to disagreement with intimidation and violence empowers people to work together to change the world for the better. We believe that further research and education has the potential to uncover the many manifestations of intolerance and illuminate the path toward a society that respects the moral dignity of all individuals.

Research and Education Priorities

Research on why people reject those who are different, the consequences of those actions, and the efficacy of tools designed to bridge divides
Campus-based initiatives to defend civil liberties
Educational programming that equips students to promote and benefit from open exchange
New methods for measuring openness, including tools that can indicate whether culture reflects the conditions necessary for open exchange

Our Partners

Jameel Jaffer leads the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University, which defends freedom of speech and freedom of the press through strategic litigation, research, and public education.
At the Center for the Science of Moral Understanding, Kurt Gray leads critical and timely research to understand what drives intolerance and how to address it. The center’s findings equip people with the knowledge and tools needed to embrace our differences and productively engage with each other.
At Berkeley Haas School of Business, Juliana Schroeder researches how people make social inferences about others. She is also a co-founder of the Psychology of Technology Institute, which explores the psychological consequences of technological advancements.

Robert Quinn

Scholars at Risk
Scholars at Risk is an international network of institutions and individuals who protect scholars and promote academic freedom. The group arranges temporary academic positions for scholars facing threats, campaigns for scholars who are silenced, and much more.

Partner with us to better understand our differences and propose solutions.

We form partnerships based on a shared vision and complementary capabilities, bringing our network, knowledge, research, and more to every relationship.