Critical thinking and academic freedom are enduring tenets of the liberal ethos of higher education. However, whereas the former is normally considered as a learning process for students, the latter tends to be understood as a licence for the professoriate. If understood as rights and responsibilities pertaining to teachers and learners alike, the terms of inquiry and expression may be conflated within a single conceptual framework, serving not only the needs of the higher education community, but the progress of wider society. Referring to academic climates on both sides of the Atlantic, this paper argues that universities are failing to cultivate debate on contemporary issues, as the learning environment is stifled by ideological rectitude. The author appeals for a reinvigoration of critical thinking and academic freedom in higher education.