An even-handed exploration of the polarized state of campus politics that suggests ways for
schools and universities to encourage discourse across difference. College campuses have become
flashpoints of the current culture war and consequently much ink has been spilled over the
relationship between universities and the cultivation or coddling of young American minds.
Philosopher Sigal R. Ben-Porath takes head-on arguments that infantilize students who speak out
against violent and racist discourse on campus or rehash interpretations of the First
Amendment. Ben-Porath sets out to demonstrate the role of the university in American society
and specifically how it can model free speech in ways that promote democratic ideals. In
Cancel Wars she argues that the escalating struggles over cancel culture safe spaces and
free speech on campus are a manifestation of broader democratic erosion in the United States.
At the same time she takes a nuanced approach to the legitimate claims of harm put forward by
those who are targeted by hate speech. Ben-Porath's focus on the boundaries of acceptable
speech (and on the disproportional impact that hate speech has on marginalized groups) sheds
light on the responsibility of institutions to respond to extreme speech in ways that
proactively establish conversations across difference. Establishing these conversations has
profound implications for political discourse beyond the boundaries of collegiate institutions.
If we can draw on the truth expertise and reliable sources of information that are within the
work of academic institutions we might harness the shared construction of knowledge that takes
place at schools colleges and universities against truth decay. Of interest to teachers and
school leaders this book shows that by expanding and disseminating knowledge universities can
help rekindle the civic trust that is necessary for revitalizing democracy.--
