Opinion: Universities must learn how to disagree again

The regulation of free speech at universities is not the problem, but rather the way in which we disagree both inside and outside of universities, says UCL President & Provost Dr Michael Spence. The political philosopher Ronald Dworkin once described the university as a theatre for the exercise of the independence of the mind, a place where individuals are free from unnecessary interference in the pursuit of their understanding of "truth". In a healthy university, academics and students should be fighting for causes they think are right and, where relevant, debunking ideas that they believe are wrong. I have just started as president and provost of University College London, which was founded on a history of promoting disruptive thinking. UCL was the first university in England to welcome women and students of any religion. Since 1826 this culture, which has produced 30 Nobel prizewinners, has been built into our DNA and is as important today as it has ever been. On an almost daily basis, universities are under fierce criticism from politicians and commentators for supposedly closing down free speech and for no-platforming speakers.