John Tomasi Is the Right Choice to Lead the Heterodox Academy
He assumes the newly-created Presidency at HxA
I can hardly imagine a less partisan or polarizing figure than John Tomasi. Trust me, I mean this as a compliment. John Tomasi is one of the most conscientious and moderate thinkers I've ever come across in any medium. From the beginning of his tenure at the Political Theory Project (PTP), his mission was one of heterodoxy: through the Janus Lecture Series, he brought a variety of speakers, always paired in an ideologically contrasting way, to campus, providing students with an opportunity unique in higher education: the ability to hear intelligent, opposing viewpoints in civil conversation, on controversial and pressing issues.
In my own experience, John Tomasi is the professor, and possibly person, most acutely aware of the humanity of all engaged (or not) in political debate. Particularly with students, Tomasi understands and appreciates views from all sides when they are put forth seriously and with good intention. He makes students of all political stripes feel welcome and able to submit their views for consideration. He demands civility and respect. I haven't met anyone as suited and determined to bring about desperately need mutual respect, and empathy.
This is a mission particularly important for the university. Students come to the university at a critical juncture in their development – it is the university's – in all its constituent parts – to foster students as human beings. Professors can't speak to every aspect of a student's person, most likely, but as Tomasi writes in his must-read piece on curiosity at the university (https://heterodoxacademy.org/blog/curiosity-u/), it is professors' role to foster students' curiosity. Tomasi is critically correct about curiosity: it is as fundamentally human as love, loneliness, and any other universal human tribulation one might name. Tomasi fosters our curiosity and, in doing so, stirs our empathy. Curiosity is fundamentally about understanding the world, and foremost, each other; when one is curious one seeks to understanding diversity – perspectives and experiences different from one's one – while when one is not, that empathy may well die, and then, partisanship is born.
Tomasi isn't shy about the fact that he's a libertarian – though, looking at his work reveals that he's really more of a fusionist, and, like many people at Brown, interested in social justice. Social justice, one might even argue, is a product of curiosity: if one is curious about each other and the world, wouldn't it follow that one would become curious about social problems that plague one's fellow humankind? Tomasi is interested in these problems; his approaches might be different than many others', especially at an institution like Brown, filled with progressive individuals, but that provides a diversity of approaches that ultimately likely offers greater hope for solving pressing social problems and getting us closer to true social justice.
Regardless of politics, Tomasi is on a mission – to civilize, to foster our curiosity, and remind us the purpose of the university: to foster curious people, intellectually capable and curious enough to care about their fellow human beings and the world. I have no doubt that he will bring this ethic – nonpartisan, and remarkably human – to the Heterodox Academy, and, indeed, wherever he goes. If we want to revitalize the University and remind members of higher education communities why they attend, Tomasi’s mission to restore curiosity and its accompanying sense of wonder is an important place to begin.