"Taking No Positions on the Issus of the Day"

Rick references Will Baude's comments about Catholic Universities and greatness.  I, too, was struck by the assertion that a crucial function to be performed by universities can only be performed by a university that takes no position on the issues of the day.  I do not disagree that it is important that all universities (Catholic or otherwise) engage with positions that are contrary to their own views and beliefs, and that a university that is unwilling to so engage is not performing a crucial function of a university. 

However, it is illusory to think that there exist any institutions, universities or otherwise, that take no position on the issues of the day.  That the positions are not expressed in religious or moral terms does not mean they do not reflect an underlying view of the humam person and the person's relation to others.  And that underlying view of the human person has an impact on how one views "the issues of the day."   

I explore this question in the context of views of the nature of the corporation in my article, Using Religion to Promote Corporate Responsibility (39 Wake Forest Law Review), where I argue that secular views of the corporation that purport to be value-neutral are just as value laden as religious views.