Niall Ferguson: After the Treason of the Intellectuals

Hear from Founding Trustee Niall Ferguson on why the time to found the University of Austin is now. “Individual freedom is the sine qua non for the pursuit of truth. This is why we won’t fail. This is why we must succeed. A hundred intrepid young people will be in the founding class. We are in the midst of hiring the world-class faculty to teach them, and to teach them to the highest possible pedagogical standard.”
Take your place among our founders at uaustin.org/apply

[@peterklonowksi1436]

From the great Tomas Sowell " the best thing about having a Harvard degree was 'never again having to be impressed by someone with a degree from Harvard ".

[@helenmalinowski4482]

A very great man, is Thomas Sowell!

[@Achrononmaster]

Sowell is an interesting chap, but not great. On macroeconomics he is a down right idiot. He fails to even understand the very basics of monetary systems. I've often wondered why, since he comes across as someone genuinely interested in truth. I think it's because he is heavily captured by his own hold to a discredited ideology. Neoliberals aren't the only ideologues infecting current civilization, even though it sometimes seems so.

[@danbethel3195]

He should have refused to speak in front of the fake fire. It’s a very disturbing backdrop!

[@ithinkthonkthunk5333]

I love Mr Sowells sense of humor & more importantly his beautiful mind!

[@MsElke11]

Never trust a member of a club that you once belonged to.

[@RicktheRecorder]

My wife and I recently fell into conversation with a young British female graduate taking a year out as a lifeguard in New Zealand. 'Are you looking forward to returning to the UK?' I asked. ' Well I have a good job lined up, but not really. You dare no longer say what you think. And if you have children they will just be indoctrinated with propaganda in schools', was her unprompted response. I do think the tide is turning.

[@RicktheRecorder]

UK citizen here. You can protest, especially for illegal movements, but you can't venture an opinion in many jobs without the risk of being cancelled and losing your livelihood. Universities have become opinion monocultures. I was reassured that a 24 year-old had however seen the present culture for what it is.

[@rubear8245]

UK citizen here and many topics that I value in philosophy were off limits in my humanities department were and yes school is full of indoctrinatiom. Unfortunately you wouldn't hear about them because you just scoff and snarl and call it" discredited ". Just look at how difficult it was for parliament to vote on a ceasefire in gaza, because they're affraid to have it on the books. There many elephants in the room so to speak. So, jam your hype.

[@rosannaleman1314]

Totally agree, the uK is so woke it's shocking.On board BA they took a hat around to collect euro change supposedly for" Save the children "which is well known to be so top heavy with fingers in the pie barely 10 percent gets anywhere near the poor children of the world. I will never fly BA again.

[@Kurtlane]

​@@joeegg90, weren't the protests at the King's coronation leftist or islamist? If so, what does it all mean? This is the new orthodoxy. Try protesting them.

[@nagillim7915]

​@@joeegg90- you can say what you want in the UK and protest all you like so long as it's in favour of left wing talking points and left wing pet causes.

[@nancyjimeno7001]

I was subjected to an administrative inquisition for teaching the exceptionalism of the Founders and the genius of our republic. I was told I was GUILTY of microagressions because I had offended students. My response? That is my job!

[@bearowen5480]

Bravo, Professor!

[@howardclegg6497]

Never back down if ye be a principled educator.

[@bellakrinkle9381]

I attended a city university and took a Politcal Science class because I knew nothing about anything political. When the professor spoke, I didn't know what to think. He was a Realist. He opened my eyes, even though I questioned everything he said. I was barely 20. He put me on notice: the world had many realities. It took years for me to understand reality. Most ever do.

[@swiftmatic]

"microaggressions" my ass. Fkn ❄️❄️❄️

[@Natty183]

We need to realize that this is straight up class warfare. They've got those who would lead the opposition fighting over very orchestrated distractions. The actual ruling class, the multinational corporatists, are winning most battles and the rest of us haven't even noticed we're at war. We're fighting for our children's future...

[@lengraves2556]

As Dr Jorden Peterson repeats. You only need a few stand against the establishment change will come. It may take ten years' but it will come. Thank you for creating hope.

[@wyattmccain5697]

People are Inspired by Hope when they take Complete Ownership of their Intentions, while Not putting their feelings on a pedestal. Feelings are NOT truth, they just show that we’re human, and Nothing Else.

[@bellakrinkle9381]

I've read that 10% is necessary to turn the tide. 10 years seems probable. 😳 Do we have 10 years? A better goal is 2%/year.😂😮😅😮😮😮

[@Peter-hz3vs]

@@bellakrinkle9381 But the thing is that 20% of people produce 80% of the true contribution. If what those people pursue is working for the society, you will see the spread. It does not need to spread very widely. We only need a core groups of people to survive.

[@jefbezoss7638]

Peterson another intellectual treason - and evangelist fundamentalist - very dangerous cultist - shame his early lectures were excellent - lost his ethics

[@madmaxfzz]

Jordan Peterson is an attention seeking hack who blathers on and on without really saying anything meaningful. I recommend choosing someone else to look to for inspiration. Peterson is a screwed up individual. Something messed that guy up in a big way.

[@duncanfindlay3227]

85% of students believed a professor should be reported for wrong think, oh how Mao!

[@incognito3620]

Who runs the universities in inmates or the guards. Students don’t dictate what it is they should learn. And controversy is the key to learning. Challenging the norm and status quo.

[@incognito3620]

I will tell you why in one word. TRUMP! Sounds bazaar but he has killed all civility in politics. And corrupted or destroyed our legal system. He showed us corruption works and is profitable and laws can be circumvented. It has bled into our society at all levels.

[@duncanfindlay3227]

There is a difference between critique and intolerant condemnation especially in its worst manifestations, see cultural revolution in China. There is no equivalence.

[@lloydgush]

The question is why teachers which thought them that where ever allowed freedom. "Why are you fleeing here, not the soviet union? Back to hitler, you are closer to him than us".

[@coraleefarrell1066]

OnTucker Carlson's podcast the other night he spoke with a woman (?name)who was born in mows (hina. It was a grave warning, everyone should see,and think HARD ABOUT

[@liberty-matrix]

"We are rapidly approaching an era where people vs government becomes a worldwide phenomenon." ~ John McAfee

[@levin448]

Yes. Netherlands, Argentina, El Salvador, Poland to name a few.

[@kenwoodburn7438]

In 2020 that became global reality. Unfortunately a vast amount of people still refuse to accept this.

[@AB-rx6no]

From France with ❤

[@SamtheIrishexan]

In the West yes. We will either end up like Putins Russia, Xi's China, or we will save Western civilization. No pressure on those of us who are trying to stop it eh? The thing is the elite political class feels safe. But once things pop off i think they will be the first to try and flee the inevitable violence. We basically are all fighting a globalist communist revolution. Consider yourselves counter revolutionary and be prepared to act as such if required.

[@Sakhmeov]

This has already been the case, depending on where you're at in the world, for decades and possibly centuries. And Niall is wrong on the point of "left vs. right professors;" Merely taking an anti-political stance is anti-Left. Yeah, not all of the Left and not to all of the extent. Not all of the Left has gone mad, and there's a lot of scum on the Right too. But nevertheless, the actual Mad Hatters and contributors to this problem are virtually all found on the Left side of politics. This is admin gone mad; The madness of admin being capable of affecting the world so negatively, is because it has achieved the size and scope it has; The drivers of size and scope are the "integratists" and the people who, awares or unawares, try to expand the scope of institutions and government and common systems for their own ideological sake or for a little brief authority or job security. It's people of the "surmiser" theoretician bent, the journalist "observer" bent, of the "prosocial" mindset and the high "functionary" bent and high trait "Fairness" and "Agreeableness" character. I.e. the Left. It's not rocket science. And part of freedom of speech and honest rigorous investigation should be to be able to make the argument so crassly and formulate the thesis so bluntly.

[@dd2nr]

Maybe Niall doesn’t see it yet..he’s the pendulum. This is the beginning of the swing. Thank you Niall.

[@mickey1849]

You are wrong. The pendulum has not yet begun to swing. Moreover, before all this has finished, there will be blood.

[@dd2nr]

@@mickey1849 at the maxima of the pendulum, as history has shown, blood is possible, and should be expected. Is that not part of the swing?

[@anaibarangan4908]

Well maybe he's seeing the reality of the outcome of some of his past stances.

[@chelseafisher6881]

Shit, maybe you guys should be trying to stop the swing by finding the balanced middle rather than baying for blood. Maybe time for some self reflection.

[@dd2nr]

@@chelseafisher6881 No one said “We want blood.” I hope it doesn’t happen. Still. It’s a possibility.

[@abuyusef27]

This is painful to hear. He’s right we need new institutions.

[@artandculture5262]

They did it to themselves. They are the frogs in their own boiling water. For shame.

[@hooked4215]

Why does truth hurt?

[@mogznwaz]

100%. As Trump said, the best response is success.

[@nicktheboomer]

Probably about 200 years too late. Bureaucrats run everything now. They fight among themselves but would join together to literally destroy anyone desiring any real change.

[@richardkut3976]

No Pain No Gain. Keep the Faith.

[@orangetuono38]

I have never seen Ferguson so passionate. We need MORE Niall Ferguson in our world today!

[@donaldrobertson1808]

Or perhaps Ferguson would serve better working as a Shakespearean actor.

[@jamesdellaneve9005]

His wife is great too.

[@David-hf7nn]

@robertson1808 I'm sure he'd do brilliantly as a Shakespearean actor. There is a performative capability in any good lecturer. Also the lecturer is not prohibited from inspiring and encouraging by example an engaged enthusiasm for the subject. (Shakespearean theatre itself enabled a hearty audience engagement with the play without negative impact on the validity of the content. So let it be for lecturers.) The use of barbed language is yet another Shakespearean ability, either for comedic effect or ad hominem attack. With that in mind, you have delivered three such comments in the space of an hour: one implying, at its most charitable interpretation, that Professor Ferguson is unsuited to an academic career. A second comment states that UATX employment selection discriminates offensively against Austin residents, and a third is again directed by innuendo at Ferguson's character and competence, in which you state his speech "feels so disingenuous [and] vacuous....". Granted that an assessment of sincerity may be more intuitive than factual, but the charge of rhetorical "vacuity" should be easy enough to prove with factual evidence, of which you have provided none at the time writing. Having based your entire criticism of Ferguson's content and delivery on your feelings, you finished the job rather ironically by expressing your feeling that Ferguson's abundantly factual and informative speech was "emotionally hyped".

[@frankyyaggabot6222]

We need LESS - The treason of the Intellectual was led by people such as Ferguson who curtailed his thought and speech for 50 pieces of silver and a woke badge. Perhaps he is looking to secure a different legacy in his older years - too late! He has a record in this sorry morass and it will not stand the test of History no matter how much he tries to excise himself from it. Ferguson was responsible for promoting and elevating the worst academics ever to grace the hallowed halls of Academia (and you are seeing the more visible effects of that beginning to emerge in Harvard, Princeton, Stanford, ...) - the damage done will continue to erode society for decades to come. He shouldn't be at Austin - he is a weak link and you don't build a divergent future on the fracture points of the past.

[@suewood8538]

When Americans hear "I'm from Glasgow", they would be well advised to listen carefully as to what follows.

[@ToddSchul]

I am so excited and humbled that my son was accepted to this incredible university. I can hardly believe it....

[@nancyjimeno7001]

Congratulations!

[@peggyoban4069]

Thrilling!

[@RN-lo6xc]

As a recent graduate of two universities - one being relatively unknown, and the other being so-called ‘elite’ - I wish your son the very best of luck. The quality of my education did not depend on the renown or age of the institution, but on the passion I had for my chosen subject and the integrity of (some of) my lecturers. Intellectual openness, inspiration and hard work is what will make your son a model citizen and net contributor to his society. I am sure this university will provide him with the first two, and I trust that he can bring the third. God bless!

[@hjs9td]

A wise parent has transferred their wisdom.

[@Angeprof]

Unless you’re looking for another Harvard for the political right, don’t get your hopes high. He’s being deceptive. Students have zero chance unless they teach themselves to think critically. He did a great job until he showed his true color-political inclination, something he said faculty members ought not do. FYI, US universities want students to be either on the left or the right. It’s easier to control them. Kids learn from day 1 in kindergarten that it’s more important to be liked than smart. By the time they’re in college, they’re mediocre at best and their egos are tiny. You’ll be a proud parent of a non-independent thinks who will think it’s OK to and murder children because their friends are the ones doing it. God help us.

[@dannyhughes4889]

Donors who previously donated to many of the Ivy League Universities are now invited to take a close look at this University as a place that will respect their values and hard earned money.

[@friarnewborg9213]

I like it. Harvard is not getting a penny from me. Honestly, they deserve NOTHING. NIL, NADDA, ZERO

[@Knotyoma]

So this uni is already bought out like the rest eh? Good to know ✌️🍻

[@madmaxfzz]

Donors should not expect universities to which they donate to push their personal agendas. Give the money or not, it doesn't grant them authority to dictate the curriculum.

[@friarnewborg9213]

@@madmaxfzz The universities are tolerating EVIL. Defund them

[@chrisdiboll2256]

My proudest moment at uni was during my turn away from left wing economics. I had gone looking for evidence to support a contention and found the opposite. So I wrote it up, basically ended up being a defence of free market capitalism and limited state intervention. Feedback from my tutor was ‘I completely disagree with your perspective, but nevertheless this is an excellent piece of work, here are some pieces by people who would also disagree and some evidence against your conclusion’. We then spent the rest of the course strongly and respectfully disagreeing and I learned a ton from him. I wonder if that can even happen any more. And if it can’t, how can people hope to learn?

[@teonactalpizza]

Your left wing tutor realized you were correct and properly congratulated you then proceeded to gaslight you with more wrong points of view. Sounds like a great guy.

[@noeldeal8087]

I had a moment like this with my history teacher in middle school. I was against the death penalty, he was for it. (I'm so proud of my fifteen year old self, lol) I was falsely accused years ago and if I lived at the time of the Salem witch trials I'd have been killed under the command a lunatic fuming bunch of over-righteous bored rich men. Under my rules, I'd have lived, under my history teachers rules... well, you get it... Does this compare, lol? I think what I'm saying is, the teacher doesn't always get it right despite being the teacher. Sometimes(often) the students teach the teach a few things. 😎

[@rossb4802]

If more teachers on the right and left were like that, it would be a better place. You learned to defend your position well but also maybe got a better understanding of why some disagreed with you. The ability to study opposing views for understanding is a valuable one. Also.the ability to change your mind as you learn.

[@bomination.]

The whole concept of profit is ONLY derived from the deliberate and forceful creation of a large working class. Feudalism is to blame for that, however capitalism picked up that ball and ran amok with it. The hierarchies of CAPITALISM are /\ pyramid shaped, while every NATURAL hierarchy of competence is a bell curve (IQ bell curve) with few at the top and bottom and the majority in the MIDDLE. pyramid /\ hierarchies are ARTIFICIAL and integral to capitalism/profit, there has to be a very large base of low paid workers in a capitalist /\ hierarchy in order for profit to be generated. Profit is NOT possible in a natural (bell curve) hierarchy because there aren't enough people at the bottom to skim labor value from. Capitalism is immoral and unnatural.

[@norbutvstheworld]

is not just universities, i think this trend is prevelent throughout the whole schooling system.

[@raevj]

Absolutely.

[@ellie698]

Schooling, media, academia, policing, civil service, arts, major corporations, the charity sector etc etc etc

[@caseyspaos448]

Yet deluded conservatives continue to have low political and intellectual standards, venerating the conman Trump and brain dead pundits like Candace Owens and Tomi Lahren.

[@tambordecrioula]

Will donate to the success of this university based on its its principles and educational excellence. May there be others that follow in your footsteps.

[@staninjapan07]

Donate? I was thinking about how non-specialists put investment groups together, so that people like me, who could not invest more than a couple of thousand, can get together with another 50,000 like-minded people and invest a million in the hope of a good return from a truly worthy enterprise.

[@howardlarsen2540]

EVILuti😂nary materialism 😊doesn't like opposition,right

[@Fran-ik6ob]

I was thinking the same@@staninjapan07

[@ozachar]

The "swing to the activist left" in academia was not accidental. It was forced by actively denying tenure or even applications of Center-right aspiring academics to any open positions. It was by actively drafting academic positions definitions that exclude other points of view. It was by inventing whole new academic fields and departments that by definition are associated with the political activist "left", which is more regressive, racist, sexist, and totalitarian than any center right Republicans or even what used to be garden variety Democrat.

[@12monkies123]

Well said.

[@StereoSpace]

Exactly right.

[@bearowen5480]

Wow! How beautifully said! As an undergraduate in the '60s at the University of Washington, I witnessed first hand the birth of this radicalization of the faculty, and the acquiescence of the administration. I somehow survived it with my political and intellectual principles intact. I salute Niall and his Austin Founders for their passionate experiment. I wish them great success in righting the ship of academia, if only by one teaspoon at a time.

[@MikeJones-mf2fw]

Thank God we live in the most well armed population to have existed in the US. They'll never fully take over the whole of the country, no matter how ignorant the masses become.

[@noeldeal8087]

@@bearowen5480 It seems to me that anti-God ideology is at the root of all discussed. And sorry to say, this talk sounds like a fundraiser and who's to say this new uni will be any different? Sorry, I don't know who the speaker is, Niall, is it? I just dropped by to have a look see...

[@reuvenbisk3220]

Universities have become churches instead of learning institutions. We should not ignore this underlying cause of academic politicalization.

[@teonactalpizza]

Marxism and ignoring the warnings from j Edgar Hoover and other hard asses who may have been not very pleasant individuals, Not someone you could enjoy a beer with, but righteous and committed all the same.

[@JeppeJuhl1]

Wow...! I feel like I just witnessed a modern version of King Arthur's first speech to his noble knights. AUTX is indeed academias new Camelot. I wish you all well, students and teachers alike. There is hardship ahead; but I am certain you will prevail.

[@EllaGreenn]

I was thinking the same, but you worded it much better.

[@judycross7819]

Ditto!

[@Allgood33]

Another fiction?

[@joezabek9526]

This is one of the most uplifting and inspiring speeches I've seen in ages. Bravo.

[@andrewgrandjean1641]

What exactly is the problem he is talking about???

[@aimhigh3701]

Long live the University of Austin!

[@OlBlow-qv6oz]

Dont mess with Texas!!

[@jessehepburn]

I need some University of Austin swag for my toddler. This is the only school I would consider sending my kids to.

[@TheLucanicLord]

I'd have thought Prager was perfect for you.

[@peggyoban4069]

Hillsdale?

[@peggyoban4069]

Amen! Me too! And I have 4 of them!

[@tabithan2978]

My niece went there, very good, nice and liberal, bastion in a Red Sea of ignorance. Vote Blue, Trump is a nut job! With dementia.

[@MrTomehok]

​@TheLucanicLord is that real university?

[@margaretmeyncke3592]

Super excited to support this effort. Truth. Beauty. Goodness. ❤❤❤

[@DianaOlsberg]

I am a retired Associate Professor in Australia, aged 82. How I wish I could be there at Austin. Gloria Steinem always said the world would be changed by an army of grey haired women. I continue to fight for the Liberty and truth Niall Ferguson so passionately espouses. And as the 1000 mourners at Alex Navalny’s funeral chanted “we are not afraid”.

[@noeldeal8087]

Maybe these grandma's could start by baking pies with the children they know instead of going on cruises and a second home in Florida?

[@Knotyoma]

He’s obviously a Zionist so he’s used to stealing and lying as he has shown us already in his past and in this very video. He’s a paid bs’r. ✌️🍻

[@debbielondon1809]

Marvellous speech. Made me cry. Go cold all over. Sorry to be emotional, but watching the corrosion intellectual freedom for the last 20 years has been heart breaking. (UK)

[@charlesmackey8179]

I truly admire Dr.Ferguson. Good luck University of Austin!

[@barryyoung]

Truly Inspirational and profound speech - which I was 18 again and heading to a University like this

[@Haggis9]

I am inspired. I wish I was thirty years younger; I'd be signing up.

[@teachermanret]

Absolutely superb talk, and I wish all the very best for the future.

[@luizrcrispim]

Niall, brilliant argument, first to narrow it, very well put. Wonderful pursuit.

[@kirsty_iso]

God I love Niall, he speaks to my soul, whatever the utterance.

[@EllaGreenn]

39:25 This young woman's question brought tears to my eyes. She basically said that her generation is experiencing cognitive dissonance, but deep down they know what's good. The way she asked "Do you see that in our generation?" was truly heartbreaking. We're so busy being infuriated by their illogical behavior and demands, that we forget that we somehow created that madness and confusion in her generation. All they need is encouragement and guidance instead of all this awful destructive hostility. This university will be a place for learning and for healing their confidence.

[@mickey1849]

They are natural born killers. They run to the madness and confusion with swift feet. They hate the light of the truth. Because it is where their awful works will be revealed completely.

[@ToddSchul]

What a compassionate observation! I missed that the first time, thank you for pointing it out. You are right, while things are most certainly not looking great for the West, we need to remember to give our young people some hope that freedom can prevail and that they have a chance to live a good life!

[@teonactalpizza]

Wrong. Being overly compassionate and worried about their self esteem and participation trophy's are the reason they can't cope with critiscism. The world is harsh. Shock therapy.

[@mickey1849]

@@teonactalpizza What's a "participation trophy"? You get tougher by eating sh-t sandwiches.

[@tburke3454]

I am 53. I was a nanny for most of my life and I am an aunt. I didn't teach any child to be self-involved, selfish and obnoxious. As a retired rich, spoiled brat who always go her way I used my experience as a cautionary tale. I gave/give children my time and love listening and being engaged when with them. I didn't tolerate disrespect, carrying on etc. Boundaries, communication, consequences & follow through when child has been punishment. I wanted/want better than what I had.

[@speakrussian6779]

What a beautiful language! With my poor English I could understand almost everything!

[@andrewwood7303]

I’m glad that you noticed. I have occasionally been credited with speaking well, especially by non-native English speakers. I had not noticed that my parents and my schools had engendered in me a love of Spoken English that made me especially easy to understand. It is always a pleasure to listen to Niall Ferguson.

[@paulyardley383]

Not many people get to make a real difference. Exciting times!

[@lluisboschpascual4869]

Ecellent! A true inspiration. From historian to historian, thank you for your service!

[@salex5412]

Finally someone digs into the FIRE numbers not just the rankings. The high overall score can be as misleading as a college ranking score in US News and World Report that lumps everything together rather than ranking a college's specific disciplines. As a UChicago grad, I was concerned with the very low score of UChicago students and the lack of comfort in discussing topics. But I am very proud of the Chicago Trifecta. Hopefully more students will embrace the privilege of being at a college that champions free expression.

[@Soulseeologia]

U Chicago is popish. Use the Ratio Studiorum and Father Greeley as your intellectual proofs, and the architecture in particular Rockefeller Chapel as your physical proofs in Roman concrete form.

[@salex5412]

@@Soulseeologia To borrow from the spirit of Lincoln's comment on Grant's drinking: I would like to send Chicago's version of the Ratio Studiorum to other universities.

[@rhodaberger7262]

I remember her being disinvited and how horrified I was. She is a truly independent thinker and one of my great heroes.

[@fromthewrath2come]

The need for this university is so great. Get ready to expand.

[@arendjedonk863]

Power! This is how education should be. In the Netherlands we have a simular initiative. Thierry Baudet, a politician of Forum of Democratie is one of the founders. You should work together.

[@David-hf7nn]

Inspiring and moving, not just the lecturer but also his supportive, youthful audience! Bravo Niall Ferguson and University of Austin. With regard to what they've set out to achieve not just for the university but for the imperilled principles of academic freedom and those of liberty in general, the foundation of UATX "is not ... the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning." And what a wonderful beginning it is!

[@albertgrant1017]

Well stated !

[@ToddSchul]

You have a wonderful way with words David...

[@lcitizen3029]

I loved the address but when he announced who his wife is, I felt it, I swooned. What a couple! This is true power. Many thanks!

[@annekamumford849]

This attack on the pursuit of truth and free speech has happened in the same way to Australian and British universities.

[@wayfaringhalfling]

Agreed. Australian education is not good now. Any Critical thought is either neglected, or actively demonised since it challenges anything being told to children in both school and in life, and those idealogues who have infiltrated the education sector cannot allow this. Australian children are getting less and less intelligent. Australian parents, or those considering having children should really consider home schooling.

[@teachedteach]

From my Spanish viewpoint I basicaly agree with Prof. Ferguson on the need for a change in western academia. What puzzeled me is that as a historian that he is, he is so ignorant of the real situation of academia in Europe in the first 30 years of the 20th century. It might be due to the fact that his sources are fundamentally the Anglo world and Germany (he has excellent German language skills) but ignorant of the rest of Europe. In Spain, Italy and France as well as other European countries the Left did already have a huge presence and hegemony in major universities of European capitals and major cities. In Spain it was something around 60 to 70% then. Before Mussolini in Italy it was just as bad if not worse. That was the reason for why Mussolini and fascism came to power. As a reaction. Why did we have a devastating civil war in Spain in the 30's? As a reaction to the communist landslide that was taking over Spain which had its epicentre, its womb in the universities. No, dear Prof Ferguson. The left had already taken hold of most of the academia in continental Europe 100 years ago. Maybe Britain and Germany were unique in that regard. I can't tell. But the coming to power of reactionary leaders and ideologies such as fascism was due to the real threat of communism taking over Europe just after the WW I. What might be new to anglo countries is that this new left is being bred in american campuses and then exported throughout the West. But the intellectuals have largely been leftists in Europe for over 100 years now.

[@ninaromm5491]

Brilliant and necessary point. Thanks. These decades matter. Unfortunately what seems to be proving true is that humans have a predilection for fascism / authoritarianism. The human default position... Let's wait and see whether this new initiative takes hold. Not waiting with bated breath. Best wishes 🎉

[@teachedteach]

@@ninaromm5491 Thank you very much for your comment on my opinion. You make a very good and pertinent point indeed. We seem to be a pendular species, swinging from one extreme to the other. Best wishes for you too.

[@tb8865]

People like Niall feel compelled to say "the Leftists are the new Nazis" for political reasons. They need to shoehorn in this paradigm to the current situation even if it doesnt make sense. It upholds the dominant narrative that "Far Right" is the absolute worst thing imaginable while ignoring the context in which the Far Right actually emerged.

[@sanniepstein4835]

Wasn't fascism a continuation of leftism, not a reaction to it?

[@sanniepstein4835]

YT erased this, trying again. Wasn't fascism a continuation of leftism, not a reaction to it

[@jbwentworthe6082]

This is the best News we have heard in a very long and harrowing time. Yes, we will do what we can to support your vision. ❤

[@emrabin41]

I wish all the success to this endeavor. The lecturer uses two key words that I frequently use with not much support: «Socratic” and “debate”. We live in the times when intellectuals who disagree have no chance to convince each other. The Socratic method of debate consists of speaking in turns, and at an every new turn the opponent answers the previous argument until the disputants come to a logically inevitable conclusion. But the way of a ”dispute” nowadays is that the previous argument is plainly ignored by the opponent who instead offers a new set of unrelated facts and forces the other side to discuss it, and there is no way you may return to the original point. In everyday life it may result in personal breaks, but on the world level - in more frequent wars merging into a world war. Growing in the Soviet Union, I from a close distance observed a spectacular fall of communism-socialism, both from the humanitarian and economic sense. So with an unbelievable surprise I observe the renaissance and almost victory of the left-wing totalitarianism without any basis, and it is still almost winning. Therefore, I am not as optimistic as the respectable lecturer is.

[@obinwataje]

A phoenix rises from the ashes. Truth untainted by cynism and irony is a treasure.

[@martinliehs2513]

Growing up in the west, up until the early 1990s, we could always point to the USSR and say "we don't want that". Since the fall of the iron curtain, we seem to have lost that moral compass.

[@emrabin41]

@emrabin41 You are right, so Islam forces its moral compass on us. The “liberal” fascism is winning, because Islam and its laws rather rapidly replace the US Constitution due to influx of the Islamic money, and our freedoms have become a laughing stock at Harvard and other elite universities. 23 years ago, on January 21. 2001, 9 months before 9/11, The NY Times published my letter warning that “Islamic fundamentalism will be as dangerous (or more dangerous because of more sophisticated weaponry) in the 21st century as Communism and fascism were in the 20th century. The West spent almost a third of that century simply recognizing and admitting the danger, and this short-sightedness resulted in enormous loss of human life”, the Holocaust including. Those policies are continuing unabated, and Niall Ferguson predicts a possibility of the 2nd Holocaust if Islam and supporting it the left fascism are not rather quickly stopped.

[@miramichi30]

The reason is that we can't agree on premises. We can't even agree on if there are two genders or not. It seems like everyone I try to talk to about the war on terror believes 9/11 was an inside job. Where do you go from that?

[@gordonpepper1400]

this is a very good point, thew medium is the message: "But the way of a ”dispute” nowadays is that the previous argument is plainly ignored by the opponent who instead offers a new set of unrelated facts and forces the other side to discuss it, and there is no way you may return to the original point".

[@ThePoetikJustice]

No one likes self censorship, but they do like to censor others. We need to want others to be as much as we want freedom for ourselves.

[@cryptoemcee]

Fantastic! We are with you. Let it be successful.

[@lawrencehalpin6611]

It is very refreshing to hear about the University of Austin. I wish you all success. God bless yous.

[@dtrfgr]

About a year ago, Mr Ferguson told Bari Weiss on her podcast that his hope for his children was that they attend either Cambridge or Oxford. Hopefully he's revised that desire, esp given his association with UAT.

[@dtrfgr]

He's also famous for saying globalism would peak in the early 2000's (somebody tell that to the WHO, WEF etc) and that the U.S. should have followed the Asian model of forcibly tracking, tracing and quarantining (jailing) people during the recent "crisis."

[@Aquila-sz8pl]

Brilliant, and necessary. Power to Niall and University of Austin.

[@BlueBaron3339]

The only flaw I find in Dr. Ferguson's data analysis is the assumption that membership in the Democratic party equates to left wing. Plus, plenty of former G.O.P. scholars and intellectuals have left the party yet remain conservatives. But *I completely agree* with his overall analysis, well fortified with loads of cautionary tales from history. Oh, and questioning the validity of plagiarism in the wake of Gay's resignation was not just restricted to the Harvard Crimson. The very same theme was picked up by the New York Times.

[@johnpaulsecond4626]

bravo; truth is the expression of freedom; the two are opposite sides of the same coin; the denial of truth is a vacuum of willful ignorance

[@jameseverett4976]

I predict the Left will over-run this School in 1 generation. They have honed, tested and proven their methods, and this "open minded" shame in being right will be easier to overcome than the previous culture of common sense. If the Left has accomplished anything, it's instilling in conservatives a reluctance to defend their own positions as being truth, or the right way. Such a position cannot stand in the face of a new influx of Marxist's who know their methodology. Soon enough they'll be forced - by their own silly "open minded" polices - to concede at least the "possibility" that a man can get pregnant. No. You can't let everyone have their own opinion. It will never work. Marxism is far too clever, patient in their assertion of falsehood, and their "right" to be evil and wrong. To paraphrase one of my points above: The Right now fears being "far-right" more than they fear the infiltration and take-over of the Left.

[@gregpennefather3495]

I’m generally a fan of Niall’s, but he has taken this to another level 💪💪💪🔥🔥🔥. Absolutely on fire in this one.

[@maryspencer4274]

Note the fire all around him, goodun Prof

[@richardlindquist5936]

Very nice work, Niall. I heard your excellent Hoover version and this fills the gaps nicely. So glad you could do this at Austin. Keep going!!

[@lukelucy1980]

It is a privilege to listen to Sanity. Thank You

[@johnmichaelchristian8207]

I'm a retired engineering designer and teacher of Computer Aided Design and Engineering, and this gives me such tremendous hope for the future of our country that I am beside myself as my late wife used to say. God bless you Mr Ferguson and all who are working with you.. I too know and feel that it IS going to succeed, and in fact I felt it so strongly at the end that I was literally moved to tears.

[@timoshala8928]

Keep going, we need these things here badly.

[@Dreadnought16]

The resistance has started…there is hope.

[@terrypeters8682]

I thank you for the boldness of this presentation

[@rucker69]

As a Texan this sounds really exciting for our state (and our nation if they choose to accept it).

[@anettesandgren3338]

Fact don’t care about feelings, the truth always win, unfortunately we now have a generation of bad suited young people who can’t cope! Sad so so sad.

[@vinmartin6892]

Very insightful vision regarding Cold War II. Couldn't agree more.

[@ibyhammer5347]

Wishing you much success from Berlin! God bless your work, Mr Ferguson

[@aimhigh3701]

I highly recommend reading Fergusons work. His books on Empire and civilisation are excellent.

[@patriciakimball8150]

I read THE ASCENT OF MONEY and THE SQUARE AND THE TOWER-both superb.

[@sophiashakti5638]

Yep, left or right Drang nach Osten remains. For the wolf the sheep is guilty, just because the wolf is hungry.

[@superturkle]

there are plenty of donors with deep pockets who do not like what the universities have turned into. give them an option they can support with good conscience.

[@ozachar]

The quality of faculty should attract the best students to this university

[@jimluebke3869]

"IF WE FAIL" ... at the risk of being called a plagiarist: "then the whole world, including the United States, including all that we have known and cared for, will sink into the abyss of a new Dark Age made more sinister, and perhaps more protracted, by the lights of perverted science." Come to think of it, you could rewrite this speech, from "Therefore, in casting up this dread balance sheet and contemplating our dangers with a disillusioned eye, I see great reason for intense vigilance and exertion, but none whatever for panic or despair" through "Upon this battle depends the survival of Christian civilization" , all the way to "Let us therefore brace ourselves to our duties, and so bear ourselves that, if the British Empire and its Commonwealth last for a thousand years, men will still say, “This was their finest hour.”" And if Churchill isn't enough for you, there's Patton's speech to the 3rd Army too. =D

[@jameswebb4593]

I am neither an intellectual or a university graduate . Having left school aged fifteen , used the past 68 years learning from the university of life. All that Prof Ferguson has done is echo the opinions I've been posting for several years. My first experience of repression of thought occurred in my first year at an English Technical School in 1953 . The teacher told the class that the lesson the following week .we would discuss the rights and wrongs of immigration. Came the day . all against raise their hand , to my amazement , mine was the only one . For the next 30 minutes stood in front of 27 boys arguing my point. That was the very last time any class was allowed to discuss current affairs. My conclusions from my 83 years is that so called Democracy is garbage . The choice to place a cross against a name of an unknown , when none of the candidates represent any of my views , and seldom the majority. True Democracy is the freedom to think , and relay those thoughts , to any who will listen . In return consider counter opinions , that may be better then your own.

[@BellaMarsilioRN]

Wow, what an awesome share, Sir! #BlessedBeThee🦋

[@debravictoria7452]

Why are you talking about democracy? What country are you in? Could not be the United States, since it is a Constitutional Republic.

[@jameswebb4593]

@@debravictoria7452 Two points of interest , firstly you are unable to read English properly , as I stated quite clearly " my English technical school ". Regarding constitutional republic , all that means in essence , a clown eg: Biden throws his hat into the ring , Wins 51% of the voted from those as dense as he is . The other 49% have to suffer for the next four years. Then you claim democracy . The problem is that when the system is rigged , prime example allowing immigrants the right to vote , legal or illegal makes no difference . They haven't earned the right to vote , yet their input on the outcome can be vital . that is not democracy.

[@noeldeal8087]

I find no one wants to talk about anything intelligent... But the latest ball game? No problem. FYI, Jehovah is my fave subject. His kingdom is what we need...

[@jameswebb4593]

@@debravictoria7452 I wonder do you know what Con.Rep means , and when is it practiced . Certainly not by Biden"s gang of crooks.

[@benbrill3617]

Fantastic lecture, the power, conviction, intellect, and charisma. Riled me up, grabbing my sword, lets go.

[@chrisar6068]

Absolutely shocking. This is the opposite of my experience 30 years ago, but in engineering in Australia.

[@philippepoirier3268]

God dam its good to hear. Hello from Canada, i needed good news tonight, and i got them. Its time to fight!❤❤❤

[@rouzbehazshab]

And i still miss Christopher Hitchens in our lives. Great talk.

[@anthonyvalenti9093]

Well, here’s a plan to help education in the US. 1. Remove the Federal Government from the student loan business. A student goes to a bank. And the bank decides whether the student will complete a certain program and pay back the loan. 2. End all title programs from the Federal Government to schools and colleges. Less bureaucracy! 3. The end of the Dept. of Education with its very unsuccessful Pell Grants. Once again, go to a bank or apply for a scholarship from the school. We, most likely, will see immediate change. When you can’t spend other folk’s money reality sets in.

[@terry9238]

Do you trust BANKS to decide which students (other than those from rich families) should have access to what kind of postsecondary education and (therefore) to what kind of careers?

[@DeshCanter]

I like the direction of your thinking, but the corruption runs much deeper. The banks are driven in many directions by government itself (see the housing bubble). Get the government out of banking too and you’ll see that banks will be more than happy to “invest” in mechanical engineers and understandably reluctant to see how the “Gender Shamanism Studies” major would be able to repay zur loans, even with the “Indigenous Paganism Dance Theory” minor to enhance marketability.

[@patriciakimball8150]

And what to do about, say, the Muslim Brotherhood and Qatar funding departments and professors to propagandize students and give them extra credit for attending protests (as is the case now)? Also, I worked at a college a few years ago where Italian was dropped from the curriculum for lack of funding while Chinese was very well funded, indeed, and expanded. And I’ve read that in India, almost everyone is studying computer science and few want to study anything else, including Indian history and traditions. How to fund these important things and avoid funding pernicious things? (I’ll leave it to Niall, et. al, to figure out.)

[@dd2nr]

I am happy to see this.

[@sharonfarrelly7146]

Naill is utter Spot on..great man…. great mind…genius… telling the truth is imperative 💯

[@neilhollands2750]

As a leftist professor from Canada I wish the University of Austin success in its important mission to remove politics from the institution and promote unfettered free speech. It is somewhat ironic that Niall Ferguson, a man with highly politicized views, was chosen to give this speech. Nonetheless, the crisis on our campuses is very real. Many “Lefties” will support this important mission, if it can be presented devoid of overt politics. Godspeed.

[@teonactalpizza]

A leftty professor pretending he didn't play a roll in political indoctrination and wishing the right luck. Don't you like having total intellectual dominance without any challengers and if any pop up, you have the mob to cancel them?

[@befirmbefair6674]

“Politicized views” What’s your evidence? What’s your point? I think the point of the University is to have many different viewpoints.

[@dominionphilosophy3698]

Politics is not the issue, free speech is. Believe what you want, but accept other views. THAT is the only reason that higher education exists.

[@gerrytyrrell1507]

Thank you Sir...Enjoy listening to class....Ireland

[@Twiglet1008]

Brilliant .. may this voice be magnified globally ..

[@robk5427]

They should all be ashamed of the climate of fear and censorship they have created, but they don't have the capacity for shame. They're consumed by the objectives of their activism. If the fear and censorship further these goals, so be it. The end always justifies the means for these people.

[@neovxr]

About the nation of "founding", yes this is absolutely great. Congratulations to Professor Ferguson for such a project to support the search for truth and honesty, and spiritual growth.

[@mysterioanonymous3206]

I bet the ratio towards liberal over conservative values is mainly due to an increase in female professors. Women are notoriously liberal leaning, so that totally tilts the balance, obviously. You also see a shift towards more female teachers in school (with male teachers increasingly dropping out of the profession) so that has to have an effect. That same issue is likely also related to boys falling increasingly behind in academics. It's not conclusive yet but as a father to a boy this topic is of high interest to me so I'm rather well read on it and that's something that isn't nearly talked about enough.

[@margaretratcliffe5465]

Not me. Not this woman. It is my husband who is the lefty in our house.

[@lesfox2010]

Most of these institutions have been taken over by the radical feminist movement. They have imposed the atmosphere of fear and retaliation against anyone having an opinion other than their own. They wield absolute power these days and woe betide anyone who will stand against them.

[@JP-ms1dw]

Great inspiration Niall and UATX.

[@andrewwood7303]

Magnificent! THAT’S how you deliver a speech.

[@stephaniezickgraf9672]

Make it a success, its now or never. Inspirational speech. 🎉🦋⚘️

[@casteretpollux]

Great how they reciprocally award each other with title of genius.

[@arkhamxavier3066]

Thank you❤

[@oliviasmith6865]

What a feast! Finally, a clear plan to address the tragedy that has been happening in the western academia. I believe it's actually almost irreversible, but I want to be wrong. Wishing the University of Austin to hire the greatest thinkers as professors to educate the best future thinkers who will be vaccinated against the most deadly disease of marxism for life.

[@eveefstathiou3714]

Wishing all the best to UATX and hoping for an end to the madness that has taken over academia

[@SystemsMedicine]

I suppose there are some basic mistakes in the planning going on here. Universities do not need to recruit critical thinkers; rather, analytical and especially synthetic thinkers are needed. Critical thinking has come to imply running down a list of modern inquisitional tricks designed to berate any subject under consideration, without any particular need for knowledge or understanding. Analytical thinking is much more intellectually demanding, and synthetic thinking even more so. ‘Critical thinkers’ are practically oxymoronic, and they are unneeded for future universities. But critical thinking is so much easier than analytic or synthetic thinking, and is far more rhetorically safe, so it has, and will have, great momentum. [The tiktok mind wallows in critical thinking.] Additionally, universities like Harvard are definitely not after the “smartest students”, or for that matter, the best faculty. What they are looking for are students who will become famous and hyper successful. Recruiting and training such students is an altogether different process. As for faculty, these universities are looking for already extremely successful professors, preferably famous ones. [Niall, as you very well know, that’s why people like you and Stephen Pinker are/were at Harvard.] In the long run, it will be extraordinarily difficult to change the ‘academic direction’ of such universities, particularly when they have already amassed vast fortunes, which are continuing to grow rapidly. There is also the issue of sociopathology. A few percent of people are sociopathic in nature, but this percentage is much higher among professors at prominent academic institutions. The intelligent ones will do whatever is necessary to dominate an institution, regardless of the institution’s stated or desired goals. The net effect can sometimes be total degradation of the ‘mission’ of any institution. Some sociopaths are born, others are trained, but their often insidious effects remain a constant barrier to any organization with ‘lofty’ goals. Sociopaths regard such organizations as easy and desirable targets. Dealing with this is perhaps the greatest unsolved conundrum for any organization, but the intellectual level of universities makes the problem much more severe.

[@lesfox2010]

Good points.

[@zkrtrt]

I believe Mr. Ferguson used "Critical Thinking" with its old meaning of, precisely, questioning everything with integrity and truth at the forefront. But, as you say, critical thinking nowadays is practically a synonym for marx-hegelian dialectic which revels on dogma and where truth can never be achieved.

[@noeldeal8087]

Drop the mic🎤🎤🎤. And people are inherently selfish, money loving and liars. Not a good mix in a secular environment.

[@MrS-pe6sd]

I believe that the idiocy of the current time is going to cause a knee-jerk reaction to a second Age of Enlightenment.., of sorts. There’s a very clear thirst in the margins for knowledge and truth and classical reasoning

[@amolsinha9871]

I wish I had money; would have donated generously to such an institution and considered myself privileged to have been given a chance to contribute.

[@ToddSchul]

A wonderful and generous sentiment....If I may, if you are a person of faith, you could pray for them. And I do not mean that in any condescending way. Prayer is among the most powerful force on Earth. I would personally be grateful as my son will be a student there in the fall...God Bless.

[@MediocreMan]

@@ToddSchul Hello! If you don't mind me asking, what is your son's name? I will be a student in the fall as well!

[@noeldeal8087]

@@ToddSchul As one of Jehovah's Witnesses, I agree about prayer. Very powerful.

[@PVTconnect]

A fantastic speech that reawakens much-needed hope. My sincere respect.

[@snowbirdsurfer2474]

Great job Niall! How about teaching an ethics class with Colonialism, a moral reckoning by Nigel Biggar as primary source. This will get the kids talking. And yes, I’ll make a contribution soon…hopefully to the class of 2030. Godspeed!

[@mikec6733]

The dramatic shift in the percentage of liberal professors (1984-1999) happened when the people who were kids during the Hippie Era were becoming professors.

[@DeshCanter]

Absolutely!

[@noeldeal8087]

Exactly. Where can I sign up for the naked guy at Woodstock to teach my children about life?

[@MrFinnNielsen]

I attended UCSB 1962 -1973 for a BA, MA, PhD. American universities then and now have always been intellectually parochial. From their very founding Harvard, Princeton, Yale et. al. have always been in the game of manufacturing consent. Earlier we had the catechism of religion, today we have the catechism of humanism. At times American universities have been controlled by private multi-million dollar donations, at times American universities have been controlled by public multi-million dollar taxes.. For the most part, mindless consent has been the rule of the day.

[@noeldeal8087]

As a person of faith, I'm wondering what you mean by "mindless consent"? I've come up with you are saying institutions are governed by "compromise" and belief in false hopes, empty promises of fulfillment in the pursuit of higher learning, and cash... As a person who observed the Memorial of Christ's Death on March 24th, I've come to the conclusion that all roads lead to Christ, not Rome. Because the bottom line is all things are moot without everlasting life.

[@patriciakimball8150]

@@noeldeal8087 To “manufacture consent” is to create a system in which citizens become willing and obedient, consenting and unquestioning, obeying certain principles and paradigms, all by way of corporate-sponsored propaganda through mass media and commercialism, as opposed to obedience achieved through strongman tactics. (I got this definition online. The term comes from Noam Chomsky, whom I loathe, and the book he co-wrote with someone else.) Anyway, please note that we are not all followers of Jesus.

[@noeldeal8087]

@@patriciakimball8150 Thank you so much for going to the trouble of looking that up. I really appreciate it. And yes, I'm aware that many readers are not religious. My point is that they should look into it! God's government is going to bring in the rule all mankind sorely needs because Jehovah and Jesus love mankind immensely and they can't be bribed or corrupted unlike selfish humans. Daniel 2:44 explains that human rulership is about to end... the feet of this image is the dual Brit/American world power. The "rock" in the image is God's Kingdom under Christ...

[@petermoore6414]

I am not a religious person, but I thank God for those who defend freedom. Well done!

[@rosemaryalles6043]

Brilliant, hopeful, fiery. More, more, more of this. Let us (together) "save" the west. 💚 Mahalo nui loa Niall and the University of Austin.

[@rodrigolumi]

Awesome and epic speech!❤

[@micahdembo5140]

Niall,is a hero.

[@noeldeal8087]

Jesus Christ is a hero... just sayin'...

[@staninjapan07]

I wish you all the very best with this endeavor. I would dearly love, even at my age, to study at place like I imagine it will be. I did rather get the feeling that Niall was being a salesman here. And so he should be - if you have something good to sell, sell it!

[@stuartwilliams5212]

Enroll at St. John’s College, on campus in Annapolis or Santa Fe, or remote.

[@staninjapan07]

@@stuartwilliams5212Thanks, but I am not that much younger than Niall, and I live on the other side of the world.

[@user-qn8jb9ms9e]

All I can say is a sincere thank you for creating this new vision that you have for academia. I spent 35 years researching and teaching at UCL in Oncology and over the last 10 years there, observed much evidence supporting your claims of a shift to a politically-motivated, left leaning, liberal administration. I love the way in which you rebutted the idea of promoting a right-leaning set of proposals to equalise the university teaching landscape - the critical stance to take (and at the same time the moral high ground) must be one that puts objectivity and a free-thinking philosophy above all else. I will help spread the word by sharing this inspiring presentation.