On my teaching partnership with Cornel West

Today National Review On-Line posted an interview with me about my new book, Conscience and Its Enemies. For anyone who might be interested, here is the link:

www.nationalreview.com/article/353233/what-conscience-really-means-interview

The NRO editors had to cut parts of some of my replies to their questions in order to keep the interview to a reasonable length. One of the truncated replies concerned my teaching partnership with Professor Cornel West. I'll reproduce the reply in full here:

I have taught undergraduate seminars (and will teach another one in 2015) with my dear friend and former Princeton colleague Cornel West, a man of the left (though definitely not a secularist) with whom I disagree on many issues.  In our classroom work together, and in our many conservations, Cornel has been completely willing to engage on these issues, and examine his own philosophical assumptions, even as he invites me to examine mine.  It’s a side of Cornel not seen by those who are familiar only with his fiery oratory at Occupy Wall Street rallies and the like.  If conservatives had a window into our classroom, I know they would be pleased by what they would observe.  There is no indoctrination—in either direction—no “political correctness,” no unquestioned or undefended assumptions, no rhetorical manipulation, no name-calling or other abuse. There is genuine intellectual engagement in a truth-seeking spirit of civility.  The students actually learn something from the discussions—and so do the two professors.