Open
Inquiry

A powerful idea may begin as a notion that seems mistaken, strange, offensive, or even dangerous. Colleges and universities should be places where such ideas can be discussed, debated, and rigorously tested, not stigmatized and stifled. At HxA, we explore the benefits of open inquiry and the threats to its central place in academic culture.

Threats to open inquiry can arrive in bold and subtle ways, and from many directions – from politicians on left and right, to universities’ economic interests, to institutionalized ideology within faculty and staff. HxA members also grapple with challenges to open inquiry from other parts of the academic world, including accreditors, grantmakers, and academic journal editors.