Adan Stribble: Because a lot of the professors are far left loons, that don't cultivate free thinking, but rather discourage any thoughts that disagree with their liberal point of view. This is called indoctrination, and has no place in an unbiased, open learning environment.
Ruthe Real: Good question. Here's my take on it. First, the essence of higher education is not "job skills" or technical knowledge--it is critical thinking. That means being willing to embrace new ideas, to have an open mind--and to be willing to question existing authority, whether in the academic context, poitics, or daily life.In short, it is virtually the definition of liberal thinking--as you point out. Now, here's the problem that many on the right have with this: it is, in a word, a direct threat to their agenda and ideology. That is NOT a political barb--it's simply a logical consequence of their world-view.Here's two examples to illustrate what I mean:>The right-particularly the re! ligious right--base much of their belief system on a "literal" interpretation of the Bible (their views are not, in fact, very literal aat all, but that's another issue). The Bible is, for them, an unquestionable authority--but they live in a society in which questioning the "literal" view and authority of that text is routine--and in which their views are disregarded because scientific evidence (liberal thinking) disputes their views--and, as I said, has the evidence to back up the disputation.>Look, in th epolitical sphere, at the repeated demands we heaard tha t"you must support the war(administration policy), that the President's authority supersedes the Constitution, that "failure to support the war means not supporting the troops." All of these boil down to "don't question established authority." Yet, that is one of the central themes of highereducation--ESPECIALLLY in issues that don't have a proveable answer--values, socialinstitutions, etc.--including political ! issues.The point is this: this segment of American society bas! es its world-view and sense of identity on subordination to traditional authority. But American society--including, increasingly, mainstream religion, is characterizedby a willingness, at least in principle, to question these things which are the very foundation of the right-wing belief system.And--they do indeed feel threatened. Science WORKS--and they can't, try as they might--avoid that. Its all around them. And, more often than not, political positions they accept on this authority-based approach prove to be wdrong (e.g. no WMD in Iraq, global warming, etc.) and the "liberal" view proves correct.The end result of all this is that the segment of Amrican society that adheres to this wdorldview is steadly shrinking. Not day to day, or even year to year. but their numbers within the overall population--and their influence--is slowly witering when you view it across the span of decades or a century. And the core of the "liberal" part of American society s seen by them-! -correctly--as the institutions of higher education in America. So, naturally, they resent higher education. It is a view of the world and of how to think, reason, and act that is slowly but surely wiping the traditionalist/authority based view of reality out of existance....Show more
Dwight Siniard: It turns out that critical thinking has a well-known liberal bias.Conservatism is, at its root, an attempt to blind oneself to the constantly changing nature of the world and return to some fantasy idealized past. Conservatives ignore or misunderstand whatever proof doesn't agree with their pre-conceived notions, and so critical thinking is their worst enemy. It would force them to question their values, something they're unwilling to do....Show more
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