That proverbial cliche comes to mind as I read the deluge of over-the top criticism of so called "elite universities" following the misbegotten testimony before congress by three presidents of Ivy League schools.
Yes, it is true that the faculty of most of these schools follows a liberal political bent.
Yes, it is true, that many students and faculty members holding "conservative" views may feel uncomfortable in expressing them.
Yes, it is true that group identify has taken on a greater significance than individual identity in recent years, in some cases excessively so in my opinion.
Yes, there are always reasons to ask if we have the balance right between seeking truth and respecting our most important personal convictions born of learning and one's life experiences.
But lets please keep this in perspective.
Peggy Noonan in her WSJ column of 12/16-17 captures the shrieking exaggeration we are seeing all too broadly. Universities "have gone from being centers of excellence to institutions pushing political agendas".
Noonan writes that the idea of a historian attempting to "find the honest truth seems inapplicable to the current moment". She asserts, with absolutely no evidence, that "the good faith of the scholar is sacrificed to political fashion".
Tell that to the Professor of History I have known at Yale for decades. Neither he nor I will know what you are talking about. He is seeking truth with all its complexity. So will the many other historian I have known.
The same drive to find the truth, mine new knowledge, motivates every professor I have known no matter what their field. I have agreed with some of them; I have disagreed with others. But I do not see their orientation to continue to learn in the search for truth to have changed.
Let's calm down. Improve where we should, keep an open mind, listen to and respect different points of view. But don't throw out the baby with the bathwater.
No comments:
Post a Comment