At the first Stanford Builders Forum, university leaders and experts discussed how to foster constructive conversations across differences. The event, held on October 8 and organized by ePluribus Stanford, featured a panel titled “Curiosity, Courage, and College.” Panelists included Stanford Provost Jenny Martinez, social entrepreneur and Stanford alumnus Daniel Lubetzky, JD ’93, and psychologist Jamil Zaki. Debra Satz, Dean of the School of Humanities and Sciences, moderated the discussion.
Satz opened the event by emphasizing collective learning through dialogue: “No single person has all the answers or perspectives to our most important problems. Even highly trained researchers are prone to cognitive biases,” she said. “We can’t correct these biases by ourselves, but together in conversation with others, by being challenged, by stretching our imaginations, we can actually learn collectively and do much better, and beyond the university, our democracy itself depends on our ability to work and live productively.”
Lubetzky shared his personal experience as the son of a Holocaust survivor who arrived at Stanford Law School with strong views about Middle East conflicts. He recounted: “I came wearing an advocate’s identity. Speaking past each other was not going to solve issues, so I started forming alliances with people [who] were very different from me and trying to find ways to work together.” He explained that this approach changed his worldview and inspired him to create Peace Works—a company focused on bringing together people from opposing sides—and later KIND Snacks.
Martinez spoke about her commitment to free speech. Her interest began in high school when she protested against censorship of her yearbook and continued into her academic career as a lawyer studying freedom of expression. She noted challenges in protecting speech rights: “One of the things that I like to say is that everyone is for freedom of speech until it comes to the speech that they don’t like,” Martinez said. She argued that restrictions often drive ideas underground rather than countering them through debate.
She referenced her response following a disrupted talk by Judge Kyle Duncan at Stanford Law School in 2023: “Especially in a university, I think that’s the way we have to approach problems if we’re going to carry out our mission of education and research. And I think it’s important in a democracy,” Martinez said.
Zaki described how growing up with parents from Pakistan and Peru shaped his ability to navigate cultural differences—a skill he called essential for finding common ground. As a psychology professor studying empathy, he explained its role in conflict resolution: “If you want somebody else to listen to you, one of the best things that you can do is to listen to them first and to show that you’re doing so,” Zaki said.
He clarified misconceptions about empathy: it does not require agreement or adopting another’s position but involves curiosity about their perspective. Zaki also noted that empathy can be developed over time as a skill alongside compassion.
Lubetzky outlined his “4Cs” framework—curiosity, courage, creativity, and compassion—as tools for bridging divides.
The panel addressed protest as expression. Martinez questioned protest strategies: “One of the things I often wonder sometimes when I see protest movements is what is the goal or strategy behind it.” Zaki added that while some fear opening dialogue will lead to censure or ostracism, research suggests most people desire more open conversations: “Were scared that if we open up…that they’ll ostracize us,” he said. “I think one way to puncture that…is to first establish that those conversations are what the vast majority of us want more of.”
In response to a student question about hate speech definitions in the U.S., Martinez explained protections under the First Amendment: “If you think the government should be able to suppress bad speech, you need to be pretty darn sure that youre going to always agree with what the government thinks is bad speech…That’s why I think the U.S. approach is correct.”
Daniel Lubetzky has provided support for campus efforts promoting constructive dialogue. In 2024 Martinez launched ePluribus Stanford as an initiative aimed at preparing students for civic engagement by encouraging skills necessary for negotiating disagreement within a pluralistic society.
