Arrow Lectures
Eric Maskin, Kenneth Arrow's former student, delivering the 20th Arrow Lecture (Photo by Christine Baker)
The Arrow Lecture Series on Ethics and Leadership honors the late Nobel Laureate Kenneth Arrow, the Joan Kenney Professor of Economics and Professor of Operations Research, Emeritus.
Professor Arrow made many contributions to welfare economics, social choice theory and collective decision-making. He was also a founding member of the Ethics in Society Undergraduate Honors program. He passed away in 2017. Kenneth Arrow, one of the greatest economists of the 20th century, died in 2017 at the age of 95. He was of the generation of economists whose ideas were formed by the dislocation and turmoil of the Great Depression and World War II, a generation that includes John Nash, Paul Samuelson, Harold Hotelling, and Milton Friedman. Now when so much of economics is straightjacketed by a failure to take account of ethical considerations, Arrow’s work demonstrates that economics is fundamentally a moral science. Whether tackling climate change, international security, healthcare provision, inequality, or racial prejudice, for Ken, economics was first and foremost a means to help improve human well-being. Indeed, his focus on well-being led him to consider the importance of trust and moral codes, as well as government regulations, for market behavior. Homo economicus cannot be out for himself alone. Read more of Debra Satz's tribute.
In 2005, Patrick Byrne endowed the Arrow Lecture Series in Ethics and Leadership. Byrne is the founder and CEO of Overstock.com and he holds a Ph.D. in philosophy from Stanford.
2025-26 Arrow Lecture Lecture: To Tell the Truth? Self-Censorship and Public Discourse
The 2025-26 Arrow Lecture features economist Glenn C. Loury discussing issues of self-censorship and public discourse.
What are the social and psychological forces that shape what we dare— or hesitate— to say in public? When “senders” deliver public messages, “receivers” must often discern hidden meanings and motivations. But what happens when “senders” write between the lines and self-censor their truest commitments? Drawing from his book, Self-Censorship (2025) and using theoretical insights from information economics, economist Glenn C. Loury discusses how social pressures and cultural norms can lead individuals to silence themselves on politically sensitive topics, limiting public debate and shaping contemporary discourse.
Loury explains that when the risks of upsetting a portion of the audience are too great, genuine moral discourse on difficult social issues can become impossible, leading to a reliance on euphemism and platitude. In such conditions, self-censorship proliferates and public discourse and policy not only suffer but also grow impossible to criticize. The solution, Loury argues, is for as many of us as possible to take a risk and unapologetically “live within the truth.”
Please note that this event is in-person only, and RSVPs are requested to attend. Walk-ins are welcome.
Speaker Bio:
Glenn C. Loury is the Merton P. Stoltz Professor of the Social Sciences, Emeritus, at Brown University, and Distinguished Visiting Fellow at the Hoover Institution. As an academic economist, he has published widely in the general area of applied microeconomic theory. He is a Distinguished Fellow of the American Economics Association, a Fellow of the Econometric Society, and a Member of the American Philosophical Society. As a public intellectual, he has published hundreds of essays and reviews, mainly on the themes of race, inequality and social policy. He is host of The Glenn Show, a popular podcast, and author of the widely-reviewed memoir, Late Admissions: Confessions of a Black Conservative. His most recent book is the essay, Self-Censorship.
