The Ivory Tower of Babel

This article explores the evolving missions of American universities over the past three decades, emphasizing the shift towards values such as diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). Through the lens of Simon Sinek’s Start With Why, Émile Durkheim’s sociology of religion, and Jonathan Haidt’s analysis of university sacred values, we examine how universities over the past thirty years have tended to organize around one of two contrasting ideals: truth or social justice. We explore how the focus on truth or justice has profound implications for institutional identity and educational outcomes, using data from the UC system in general and UCLA in particular. For our case study, we primarily looked at UCLA, both because it is highly ranked according to most metrics and because it is part of the highly-rated UC system. We contrast the approaches of these secular institutions focused on truth or justice with those of faith-based Catholic universities. Lastly, we highlight how adherence to perennial religious teachings guides Catholic institutions’ unique approach to academic freedom and institutional mission, and allows them to transcend the limitations of their secular university peers.