Answers inline: --- "Larry C. Lyons" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> Yes Universities tend to hire intelliegent people. > > George Will did forget a number of things in > commenting with his > intellectual and ideological blinders. First off > many of the people > who are attracted to academia may not be those > attracted to business, > which Will conveniently ignores has more > conservatives. So you're saying Conservatives just don't want to teach? > Secondly, regarding the Horowitz article you > previously presented. > Funny you know he did not mention the group he heads > up harrases those > professors they happen to disagree with on an > ideolgical basis. > Nothing like little neo-cons using the same tactics > that the prewar > nazis used in Germany's universities before the > second world war. "You can't get a good education if they're only telling you half the story," Horowitz said. He questioned the value of any education that does not provide the opportunity to test one's ideals against an opposing viewpoints and arguments. Horowitz said he "spent 25 years on the left" and "knows the feeling of self-righteousness" that many leftists feel. > Third who cares? How the hell does one's political > stance affect the > sciences and engineering? Enforcing an ideological > litmus tests smacks > of classic Stalinism, with is what George F. Will is > advocating. I'll > give you a hint, look up Lysenko, genetics and what > happened in the > 1930's to Russia when an ideology requirement > overtook scientific > research. Funny isn't enforcing an ideological > requirement on > scientific committees what the Shrubbery is doing? > BTW another very > respected group, the IAS, this time congressionally > charted has come > out warning the administration not to use ideology > for committee > membership. > So it's OK for the ole boys club not to hire someone because of their views but trying to force them to hire without the litmus test is Stalinism? It all depends on how you look at it. If they are using a litmus test in the hiring process they're guilty. But Will isn't saying to hire people because they're Conservative, he's saying don't exclude them because they are. > Finally I rather enjoyed many of the responses to > Mr. Will's column > from yesterday on this topic. > http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A26820-2004Dec1.html The first respondent is talking about hard sciences and engineering while Will was referring to the humanities and social sciences. The second is talking about a research program to fix health care. Is he a professor or someone that's looking to socialize medicine? Of course that program will be filled with Liberals. As for physicians aren't they mostly Conservatives while the teachers are Liberal? > From the Post > > Academia and Free Choice > > > > Thursday, December 2, 2004; Page A34 > > Regarding George F. Will's thesis that the leftward > leanings in > academia are the result of a "filtering" process to > consciously or > subconsciously admit only like-minded thinkers > ["Academia, Stuck to > the Left," op-ed, Nov. 28]: > > In the hard sciences and engineering, a professor's > political views > are rarely known to colleagues and are certainly not > visible in his or > her academic writings and research. So even if Mr. > Will is correct in > his insinuations, little to no bias should be found > in the political > leanings of professors in science departments. > > Alas, the Santa Clara University study that Mr. Will > clearly referred > to without specifically identifying found the same > high proportion of > "liberals" in all college departments. Now, as > insidious as liberal > bias may be, it is difficult to see how it could be > applied so > effectively to cases in which political views are > unknown and > irrelevant. > > Perhaps Mr. Will would do better to look at how far > conservative > thinking has moved away from reliance on scientific > process, analysis > and fact, as illustrated by the Bush admini- > stration, which > systematically disregards facts, studies and expert > opinion. > > If academia is becoming more liberal, perhaps it is > the free choice of > individuals who feel the country would be better off > with policy > guided by science and study, rather than by faith > and dogma. When > conservatives discover the Enlightenment, perhaps > more of them will > find successful careers in academia. > > SEAN WILLETT > > Seattle > > The writer is an associate professor of earth and > space sciences at > the University of Washington. > > • > > I am not surprised that academia is overrun by > liberals, but how about > a similar study of 1,000 corporate executives? > Aren't most corporate > executives conservative? > > Aren't more conservatives interested in climbing the > corporate ladder > while "liberal" academics pursue a tenure track at > colleges? > > I just finished a two-year Health Services Research > program for > physicians at Johns Hopkins University. Physicians > apply to this > program because they are interested in solving the > problems of the > health care system; many believe that the free > market is not leading > to quality health care for all Americans. > > I don't recall any poll of my colleagues in the > program, but I'd bet > most are liberal, even though there was no liberal > "litmus test" to > get in. Graduates of the program tend to go into > academia. > > I wouldn't mind having more conservative colleagues > in academia -- > debate is essential to learning. However, before > conservatives start > rushing toward academia to fill the shortfall, I > want to share > something with them: The pay isn't that great. > > SALOMEH KEYHANI > > New York > > The writer is a member of the faculty at Mount Sinai > School of > Medicine's Department of Health Policy. > > • > > I wish George F. Will were as concerned about the > shortage of women > and people of color in tenured and tenure-track > faculty positions at > U.S. colleges as he is about a perceived shortage of > Republicans in > those positions. Is he proposing affirmative action > for Republicans? > > Mr. Will singled out academia as a "one-party > nation," but the > one-party nation that concerns me is the one that > our > Republican-controlled executive and legislative > branches are trying to > establish in the United States by, for example, > trying to abolish the > filibuster, a venerable congressional > check-and-balance mechanism. > This seems infinitely more threatening than how a > geology professor > might have voted. > > LISA MINNICK > > Kalamazoo, Mich. > > The writer is an assistant professor of English at > Western Michigan University. > > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~| Special thanks to the CF Community Suite Silver Sponsor - New Atlanta http://www.newatlanta.com Message: http://www.houseoffusion.com/lists.cfm/link=i:5:138599 Archives: http://www.houseoffusion.com/cf_lists/threads.cfm/5 Subscription: http://www.houseoffusion.com/lists.cfm/link=s:5 Unsubscribe: http://www.houseoffusion.com/cf_lists/unsubscribe.cfm?user=89.70.5 Donations & Support: http://www.houseoffusion.com/tiny.cfm/54
