LIVE from NYPL: What Universities Owe Democracy: Ronald J. Daniels with Kwame Anthony Appiah

The president of Johns Hopkins discusses what universities can do to reclaim their integral role in a functioning democracy.

Ronald J. Daniels argues that—at a moment when liberal democracy is endangered and more countries are heading toward autocracy than at any time in generations—it is critical for today's colleges and universities to reestablish their place in democracy. In his new book, Daniels identifies four key functions of American higher education: social mobility, citizenship education, the stewardship of facts, and the cultivation of pluralistic, diverse communities. What Universities Owe Democracy examines these roles over time, and explains where colleges and universities have faltered in their execution of these functions—and what they can do going forward. 

Ronald J. Daniels speaks with Kwame Anthony Appiah about his bold prescriptions for how universities can act now to strengthen democracy.

Presented with the SNF Agora Institute at Johns Hopkins University.

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• The Great Influenza: The Story of the Deadliest Pandemic in History, by John M. Barry — NYPL Catalog ; Bookshare
• Exit, Voice, and Loyalty: Responses to Decline in Firms, Organizations, and States, by Albert O. Hirschman — NYPL Catalog ; Bookshare
• In Other Words, by Jhumpa Lahiri — NYPL Catalog ; NYPL Talking Books ; Bookshare
• The Constitution of Knowledge: A Defense of Truth, by Jonathan Rauch — NYPL Catalog

Ronald J. Daniels has served as the 14th president of Johns Hopkins University since 2009. There, he has strengthened interdisciplinary research, enhanced student access, and deepened the university's engagement with the city of Baltimore, Maryland. The coauthor of Rethinking the Welfare State: The Prospects for Government by Voucher and Rule of Law Reform and Development: Charting the Fragile Path of Progress, he is the coeditor of On Risk and Disaster: Lessons from Hurricane Katrina. 

Kwame Anthony Appiah is Professor of Philosophy and Law at NYU. He was born in London, but moved as an infant to Kumasi, Ghana, where he grew up. He took BA and PhD degrees in philosophy at Cambridge and has taught philosophy in Ghana, France, Britain, and the United States. He has been President of the PEN American Center and serves on the boards of The New York Public Library and The Public Theater. In 2021 he received the National Humanities Medal from President Obama. His most recent book is The Lies that Bind: Rethinking Identity. 

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