There are two layers of ideology in textbooks. On the one level in disciplines such as economics, the practitioners themselves have gone through highly ideological indoctrination. On another level, the companies that see the textbook as a commodity to be marketed are concerned to make the textbook as innocuous as possible in order not to be shut out of the market. For this reason, they cater to the loudest possible critics.
This second level is extremely pervasive based on my discussions with publishers. Textbook publisher play follow the leader. They look to the best-selling textbook and try to emulate it. I have asked publishers a hypothetical question: suppose that you have a crowded market with hundreds of competitors aimed at the 90% of the market that is conservative. Even the best-selling textbook does not get much more than 10% of the market. Suppose, not unrealistically, that there is nothing to appeal to the 10% of liberals/radicals. Would accompany the willing to take a chance on and market rather than publish another me-too textbook. You know the answer in advance. On Thu, Dec 08, 2005 at 10:29:14AM -0500, Sandwichman wrote: > It's not as if textbooks were scientific before the IDers came along. > Textbooks are inherently ideological. So to the extent there is a conflict > it is between ideological partisans who want their views to dominate and not > between science and religion. Show me a "non-ideological" textbook and I'll > show you a textbook that, at the very least, is not prescribed in the state > schooling system. > -- Michael Perelman Economics Department California State University Chico, CA 95929 Tel. 530-898-5321 E-Mail michael at ecst.csuchico.edu
