Getting Free Speech Right on College Campuses

Talking Feds

Harry Litman

News, Politics, Government

4.8 • 4.5K Ratings

🗓️ 16 October 2025

⏱️ 48 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Christopher Eisgruber, the long-time president of Princeton University, joins Harry to talk about his new book, Terms of Respect. Eisgruber argues that robust free speech is alive and well on college campuses, and that instances of actual defeat of free speech are far more rare than critics charge. The key to navigating internal strife and external pressure—Eisgruber tells Harry—lies not in an abstract appeal to free speech or equality principles but rather in civil norms of respect that seek to further a model of deliberative community. Mentioned in this episode: Eisgruber's book: https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/christopher-l-eisgruber/terms-of-respect/9781541607453/ Eisgruber's recent articles in the Atlantic: https://www.theatlantic.com/author/christopher-l-eisgruber/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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1:05.2	Welcome to Talking Fed's one-on-one, deep-dive discussions with national figures about the most fascinating and consequential issues, defining our culture, and shaping our lives.
1:20.5	I'm your host, Harry Littman.
1:23.2	I doubt there's ever been an easy time to be a university president, but these days it seems
1:28.3	incredibly challenging. The federal government is looking to withhold or claw back billions of
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	...

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