To the Editor: More Proof of Harvard’s Ideological Conformity

Professor Matthias Risse’s recent op-ed exemplifies the ideological conformity undermining Harvard’s claims to intellectual diversity and vitality. By dismissing the Republican Party as a threat to truth, Risse ironically epitomizes the very problem he laments: the monopolization of “truth” by an elite, self-righteous left.

Risse frames partisan attacks on truth as uniquely right-wing, ignoring how progressivism has institutionalized its own dogmas at places like Harvard. Diversity, equity, and inclusion bureaucrats enforce conformity, sexual disorder masquerades as liberation, critical theory claims outsized authority, and biological realities about sex and gender are denied in the name of inclusivity, despite their inherent incongruity with Harvard’s motto. Risse’s vision of a university — of veritas — seems to leave dissenters silenced, ostracized, or accused of ethical failings.

Risse singles out Kellyanne E. Conway, a recent guest at a forum at the Institute of Politics, as proof of the right’s attack on truth. Are we really to judge the merits of an entire political movement by the gaffes of a few appointees? That would be as absurd as judging Harvard on Professor Risse’s musings. Conway’s politics is one built on selective perception, designed to reinforce allegiance rather than seek understanding. It exemplifies the dangers of ideological tunnel vision, offering arguments that thrive on oversimplification and collapse under the weight of critical scrutiny. In other words, Risse is Conway, if only she’d landed a job in the Ivory Tower instead of the White House. While fringe elements exist within the Republican party, just as they do on the left, does such broad-brush criticism meet the intellectual rigor Harvard expects of its faculty?

Conservatism champions principles — natural law, individual liberty, and objective morality — that form the bedrock of western civilization and offer an antidote to the left’s echo chamber. If Harvard truly seeks intellectual growth, perhaps it might consider some back-to-Earth training for its overwhelmingly left-wing faculty. Rather than vilifying the right, voices like Risse’s should engage with it in good faith (indeed, in better faith than he suggests), recognizing that conservatism is not a threat to truth but a counterbalance to the left.

—Richard Y. Rodgers ’28