
David Bromwich on Why Americans Have Lost Faith in Universities
Published: April 28, 2026
Duration: 58:06
Yascha Mounk and David Bromwich discuss grade inflation, political conformity, and the crisis of trust in higher education.
David Bromwich has taught literature at Yale University since 1988. His books include Hazlitt: the Mind of a Critic, The Intellectual Life of Edmund Burke, How Words Make Things Happen, and Politics by Other Means: Higher Education and Group Thinking.
In this week’s conversation, Yascha Mounk and David Bromwich discuss why Americans have lost faith in universities, how grade inflation and political conformity undermine academic credibility, and whether the opacity of elite admissions processes can be reformed.
Note: David Bromwich asked us to...