As part of Mizzou’s Open Minds Initiative, Simon Cullen, co-creator of Sway, an AI-facilitated chat platform that connects students with differing perspectives into one-on-one conversations and facilitates discussions, will speak from 6-7:30 p.m., November 12, in Memorial Union's Stotler Lounge.
Cullen will discuss what happens when citizens on opposite sides of an argument learn how to disagree civilly and provide tools on how to do so. Campus and community members are invited to register for this free lecture and presentation.
Cullen’s work combines philosophy, cognitive science, and educational technology to improve reasoning and communication across moral and political divides. He develops and experimentally tests AI applications to enhance group reasoning, depolarize political debate, and foster open inquiry and intellectual independence.
"Constructive disagreement is the engine of human intelligence and ingenuity—how we solve our toughest problems,” said Cullen. “Through this process, we get a system that, when operating effectively in a culture of open inquiry and free discourse, promotes truth and wisdom.”
Cullen is a faculty research fellow at Heterodox Academy’s Segal Center for Academic Pluralism and a visiting research professor of artificial intelligence and civil discourse at the University of North Carolina’s School of Civic Life and Leadership. He received his PhD in philosophy from Princeton University.
Known for the popular class he taught at Carnegie Mellon University, Dangerous Ideas in Science and Society, Cullen’s teaching and research has been featured in Times Higher Ed, Inside Higher Ed, Teaching in Higher Ed, Higher Ed Dive, and Heterodox Academy. His research has been published in Science Advances, Nature Science of Learning, Cognition, and the Review of Philosophy and Psychology.
The Open Minds Initiative is led by Mizzou’s College of Arts and Science to strengthen the promise of higher education, bridge ideological differences, and promote the values of democratic citizenship throughout Missouri, and beyond.
Open Minds Initiative: Simon Cullen on learning how to disagree civilly
What: Free public lecture with Simon Cullen, co-creator of Sway, an AI-facilitated chat platform that connects students with differing perspectives into one-on-one conversations and facilitates discussions
When: 6-7:30 p.m. on November 12, 2025
Where: Stotler Lounge, Memorial Union
The Open Minds Initiative sponsors courses, events, and scholarship dedicated to fostering a vibrant academic environment where the free exchange of ideas, intellectual pluralism, and civil discourse are celebrated as essential pillars of education. This commitment aims to strengthen the purpose and promise of higher education, bridge ideological differences, reduce political polarization, and strengthen democratic values on campus and beyond.