Amar Murray joins panel on the moral foundations of the university in Toronto
On October 25, 2026, Amar Murray participated in “Moral Foundations of the University: Beyond Classical Liberalism” at the HxCanada Fall Conference, organized by Heterodox Academy at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE), University of Toronto. The panel included David Haskell and Sean Egan and was moderated by Geoff Horsman.
The discussion explored how the Abrahamic traditions might contribute to the university’s truth-seeking mission beyond the framework of classical liberalism.
Murray’s contribution, “Absolute Truth, Fallible Knowers,” drew on the Islamic intellectual tradition to examine faith, the limits of human understanding, and accountability for claims to knowledge. He connected recognition of those limits with the need to submit claims to criticism, take objections seriously, and revise what proves mistaken.
He also distinguished the tradition’s articulated inquiry ethic from historical practices that contradicted it, proposing a standard for assessing contemporary universities: whether their practices honor their declared commitment to truth.
Official conference program