Dr. Jennifer K. Thompson is joined by Pamela Paresky, Visiting Lecturer at the University of Chicago and Senior Scholar in Human Development and Psychology at the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education, to talk about what she calls the “habits of a free mind,” what they are, how to cultivate them, and how they can help us manage our difficult conversations with others about the COVID-19 crisis, racial justice, and more.

Dr. Paresky’s opinions are her own and should not be considered official positions of the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education or any other organization with which she is affiliated.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Follow us:

Show Notes:

Pamela’s piece in the New York Times on how to see beyond our differences in discussing the COVID-19 crisis

Pamela’s piece in Arc Digital about the ‘habits of a free mind’

The Harper’s Magazine letter on justice and open debate

Pamela’s regular Psychology Today columns

Nicholas Christakis and James Fowler’s book Connected: The Surprising Power of Our Social Networks and How They Shape Our Lives — How Your Friends’ Friends’ Friends Affect Everything You Feel, Think, and Do 

Want to hear more from Pamela? Follow her on Twitter.

About our guest:

Pamela Paresky, Ph.D., is Visiting Lecturer at the University of Chicago and Senior Scholar in Human Development and Psychology at the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE), where her primary responsibilities involve researching and communicating the psychology of thriving in a liberal democracy founded on fundamental individual rights such as the freedom of expression. She joined FIRE to work with its President and CEO, Greg Lukianoff, and his co-author, social psychologist Jonathan Haidt, on their book, The Coddling of the American Mind for which she served as primary researcher and in-house editor. Her work has been published in outlets as different in perspective as The Guardian and Quillette, and she is Director of the Aspen Center for Human Development (ACHD) where a faculty of scholars in diverse fields collaborate on issues of leadership, happiness, the good life, and other topics in human development. Her current project, Habits of a Free Mind: Psychology for Democracy, is a course offered at the University of Chicago and will eventually become a book.