Cornel West and Robert P. George launch Presidential Speaker Series

Hundreds of members of the FIU and greater Miami communities gathered on campus Friday to hear two men of opposing political persuasions champion the pursuit of truth while respecting others’ humanity.

Conservative legal scholar and political philosopher Robert P. George and theologian, philosopher and political activist Cornel West – longtime friends – enraptured the audience as they discussed one of the most pressing and relevant topics in America today.

West and George, who together earlier this year published the book “Truth Matters: A Dialogue on Fruitful Disagreement in an Age of Division,” appeared as part of President Jeanette Nuñez’s new speakers series.

“We have two people that could not be more different in their political views, in their personal views, in the policies that they espouse,” she said days earlier, in explaining her decision to showcase them as the inaugural speakers. “They have come from different walks of life, and yet here they are speaking civilly, engaging in very high-level discussions, respectfully, with kindness and with appreciation. That's what I want for our students.”

As the country sees ever-greater polarization, constructive and civil communication is crucial to fostering understanding and essential, the speakers agreed, to individual fulfillment.

“That's simply a matter of saying,” West explained, “mustering the courage to be truth seekers and truth tellers. We live in a moment where there's pervasive conformity, complacency and downright cowardliness.

“Just be honest, be candid, be for real,” he continued. “We're losing that in the culture. [We] can't sustain any kind of democratic experiment if you don't have character, integrity, honesty, decency, moral consistency, ethical constancy.”

The speakers themselves pointed out, and even joked about, their disparate backgrounds. West, the grandson of a Baptist minister, is a self-described socialist and draws inspiration from various intellectual traditions including the Black church, democratic socialism and transcendentalism. George, the grandson of immigrant coalminers, serves as the sixth McCormick Professor of Jurisprudence and director of the James Madison Program in American Ideals and Intuitions at Princeton University. He focuses on moral and political philosophy, bioethics and the relationship between law and religion. In 2009, he was called the "most influential conservative Christian thinker" by the New York Times.

Both men agreed that arriving at truth requires listening to those who might not agree with you, being open to the possibility that you are wholly or partially wrong and engaging in a lifelong search that should not be impeded by ego.

“It's not breaking any news if I tell you every single one of us in this room, and every single one of our fellow human beings on the face of this earth and throughout history, has held some false beliefs,” George said to the audience. “If you're an ideologue, if you're a dogmatic, I don't care whether it's right, left, center, socialist, libertarian . . . you're so deeply in love with your opinion you prefer it to having the truth.”

Facing a ballroom filled with faculty and students, the two addressed the role of universities in fostering young people's capacity to think critically.

“Education at its deepest level is never indoctrination,” West said, “but it is moral formation, what you think for yourself.”

George mentioned a course he and West co-taught at Princeton some years ago and what they hoped to impart to students.

“Don't just instrumentalize your education and think about getting into the next level of graduate education, going to law school, going to Goldman Sachs and making a ton of money,” he said. “That's all fine, but don't lose sight of the real purpose of education . . .wrestling with ideas.”  

He described the course as open to all manner of discussion but with a caveat.

“As long as we did business in the proper terms of intellectual discourse, giving reasons and arguments and making evidence, you were welcome to say whatever you want. And that makes for true education and independence of mind.”

Rita Mayer MS ’96 arrived at the lecture more than an hour early to secure a seat. Having heard of West – the better known of the two for his outspoken views and a 2024 run for U.S. president - the Miami-Dade County Public librarian sought a bit of wisdom.

“Given today's climate, political and social, I want to hear what they have to say,” she explained. “A university is absolutely the place where this kind of thing should be happening.”

Professor Mohamed Ghumrawi, who teaches international relations, echoed Mayer’s sentiments. “Politically, in this country right now, we're seeing a lot of charged disagreements,” he said, “and universities really serve the purpose of being a platform where people should come together and have these sorts of debates.

“So I think FIU's role in bringing these speakers is really important because it's opening up that door and serving its function . . . where people with differing ideas can come together, have debates, have discussions, share those perspectives but do it in a manner where it's respectful.”

Donald Bryant, a recruiter in the admissions office, agreed. “I think this is one of the primary objectives for the university, to really showcase what we can offer, which is a good academic discussion.”

Senior international business major Sofia Nava Marron welcomed the opportunity. “I think it's so important that we're able to have these discussions of different political views.”