David B. Oppenheimer is Clinical Professor of Law at the University of California, Berkeley. He is the Director of the Berkeley Center on Comparative Equality and Anti-Discrimination Law. He is author of The Ubiquity of Positive Measures for Addressing Systemic Discrimination and Inequality: A Comparative Global Perspective. He is coauthor of the book, Whitewashing Race: The Myth of a Color-Blind Society. His newest book is The Diversity Principle: The Story of a Transformative Idea.
Here he describes the principle that diverse groups of people are more effective at creative problem solving than homogenous groups. This idea has been recognized since the founding of the University of Berlin in 1810 by Wilhelm Von Humboldt. Over the last thirty years it has been confirmed in over a thousand scientific studies. He contests the claim that diversity represents discrimination against the majority group of, typically, white males.
00:00 Introduction: science and the war against diversity
03:05 From skepticism to evidence in diversity research
06:18 Diversity as many sides not two sides
07:13 Supreme court rulings and political backlash
13:42 Historical roots of diversity in universities
15:18 Why homogeneous groups underperform
16:33 SAT testing and structural bias
20:31 Diversity science and measurable results
29:43 Power fear economics and modern resistance
52:09 Conclusion
(Recorded on Sunday February 22, 2026)
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Published on March 9, 2026
