Free The Inquiry is Heterodox Academy’s home for essays, expert commentary, and conversations about open inquiry in the academy.
| Platform |  | Pricing | Only free issues | Publishes | Daily |
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Heterodox Research Roundup, August 2026
The fall semester is upon us! Syllabi? Refreshed. Freshmen? A little bit lost on campus, probably. HxA’s Research Roundup? Delivered.
Political segregation in the workforce starts early and is stratified by class
Many occupation...
A Jerusalem Street Vendor Taught Me How Not to Argue for Change
"Color Study. Squares with Concentric Circles" by Wassily Kandinsky, 1913. Wikimedia Commons, Public Domain.
Years ago, when I visited the West Bank to support Palestinian democracy advocates, I found myself beetling through the Arab quart...
Political endorsements erode trust in science, but not with the people who could fix it
In July of this year, the American Association of University Professors endorsed Abdul El-Sayed, a candidate in Michigan’s Democratic primary election for U.S. Senate. Reactions from higher ed commentators played out exactly how you might e...
The Weekly: Viewpoint diversity at Hopkins, Alabama knocks tenure protections, and accusations about “civil discourse”
This week we’re following a variety of stories, including a new review policy at the University of Alabama campuses that leaves an open door to dismissal for tenured faculty; a new study showing how the politics of commencement speakers var...
What Ghent University Just Taught Every Academic Whistleblower
Ghent University suspended postdoctoral scholar Nathan Cofnas as a “precautionary measure” pending a “preliminary disciplinary investigation.” The reason he is being suspended, however, has little if anything to do with him legitimately cri...
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Authors
The writers behind this newsletter.
Free The Inquiry, by Heterodox Academy, is devoted to the defense and advancement of open inquiry in higher education.
A social scientist interested in nonfiction books, higher education, and evolutionary science. Director of Communications at Heterodox Academy.
Joseph (Jake) Klein is a writer, filmmaker, and co-founder of The Black Sheep. He is also the author of Redefining Racism: How Racism Became "Power + Prejudice." Follow him on X @josephjakeklein.
Erin B. Shaw is a Research Associate at HxA. Her background is in education research and survey methods.
John Tomasi, the President of Heterodox Academy, is a political philosopher who earned his graduate degrees at Oxford University. A long-time professor at Brown, he has also held teaching and research positions at Princeton, Stanford, and Harvard.
Scientist. Researcher. Social Psychologist. Writer. Podcaster. Heterodox. Opinions my own. https://www.dylanselterman.com/
I'm a social scientist
Author of the forthcoming "Moral Courage: The Gutsy Practice for Influencing What You Can't Control - at Work, Home, and Beyond" (spring 2027). Founder & CEO, Moral Courage College. Some label me a workaholic. Truth is, I'm a learnaholic.
Shiri Spitz Siddiqi is a Senior Researcher at Heterodox Academy. She is a social psychologist with expertise on political bias, affective polarization, and moral judgment.
Social scientist. Friend of puppies.
Justin McBrayer is an academic philosopher and the Director of University Partnerships at Heterodox Academy.
Phong P. Truong is a Resource Developer at Heterodox Academy.
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