The Psychology of Partisan Politics
Mar 10, 2013Are you a tax-raising, soy latte-drinking, Prius-driving, New York Times-reading, Daily Show-watching, corporation-hating liberal?
Some argue that American universities mainly cater to liberal academics and liberal thought. Is there a case to be made, then, for support of "conservative schools" in higher education?
Journalist Rachel Lu holds this view in the affirmative, writing that conservatives develop undergraduate curriculums differently from their liberal counterparts. Conservative-focused academic programs might even "save" the United States, she writes, by producing more conservative intellectuals and pundits. These intellectuals help "bring out the best in conservatism" and, in conservative academies, are allowed to extend the "intellectual legacy" of Western Civilization.
What do you think? Is the American university system doing a disservice to its students, their civic education, and to American democracy if it does not create more academic hubs of conservatism, as Lu suggests? And should universities explicitly promote certain political ideologies at all? Leave your comments below.
Link here:
http://theweek.com/articles/759624/case-conservative-universities
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Comments (1)
Harold G. Neuman
Friday, April 13, 2018 -- 11:49 AM
There is a long and storiedThere is a long and storied history when it comes to liberalism, of any sort. The Enlightenment is illustrative. Most of us enjoy the freedom of choice our system affords. Most of us, who have a choice, will opt for either liberalism, conservatism or some shading of both. This is how things ought to be in a free society. This is the strength of our society. There are hubs of conservatism, academic and otherwise, all around us. Saving the United States is far more than exclusionary ideologies. Seems to me. But hey, I'm just a dumb liberal, with a few conservative values. I like that choice. A lot.