These professors apparently can’t differentiate between Conservative and Fascist . That doesn’t seem like a recipe for reform or even tolerance . And the students ultimately reflect that design . It leads to them becoming what they claim to fear. It would be interesting to poll these students and ask if they fell free to speak their mind in class or on campus .
P.S. Typo -- it's "Fasco-casting", not "fashcasting", per Lukianoff's essay, which you linked:
'Fasco-casting is the name I’ve given to the tactic of labeling people “conservative,” a “right winger,” “far right,” “fascist,” or, my new favorite, “neo-confederate,” whether they actually are these things or not . . . .'
Left-wing ideology in the academy is severe and cemented. Left-wing ideologues in the academy brook no dissent. Ergo, left-wing ideology is a religion. To honor the principle of non-establishment, public funding (federal, state, local) of the academy is non-constitutional and should cease.
No need to micromanage 'viewpoint diversity', just stop funding the religious fanatics who masquerade as 'progressives'.
I for one think that Cornell University needs a little governmental intervention to bring us back to the truth seeking mission--even understanding that there is a slippery slope between a little intervention and goverment overreach. I also understand that government intervention during the Obama administration got us to where we are. I guess that I would welcome a little of the hair of the dog that bit us.
Marcusean repressive tolerance, plain and simple. The Marxian if not Marxist method of declaring certain ideas to be anathema, and subsequently "fascist" because they aren't Marxist.
Well, at least number two was placed in its correct place, in scatological terms.
Instrumental rationality is about taking the most efficient means to achieve a goal, while epistemic rationality is about forming true beliefs. We've seen what happens when instrumental rationality has displaced epistemic rationality in universities in the past. Nazi Race Science. Lysenkoism. It doesn't matter how noble the aims- "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it".
Government incentives, what you call overreach, are needed. Incentives help when the goal is legitimate. Free speech and viewpoint diversity are legitimate goals. Too many in the university world are too lost to their dogma to even recognize their serious problem.
FIRE's absolutist purity is hurting the goal of campus reform.
Today's sad excuse for a college education is why I've come up with the terms 'intellectual incest' and 'academic inbreeding'.
All Americans should know the words REJECTION DESENSITIZATION...
...NO AMERICAN KNOWS those words 😱😱😱😱
These professors apparently can’t differentiate between Conservative and Fascist . That doesn’t seem like a recipe for reform or even tolerance . And the students ultimately reflect that design . It leads to them becoming what they claim to fear. It would be interesting to poll these students and ask if they fell free to speak their mind in class or on campus .
P.S. Typo -- it's "Fasco-casting", not "fashcasting", per Lukianoff's essay, which you linked:
'Fasco-casting is the name I’ve given to the tactic of labeling people “conservative,” a “right winger,” “far right,” “fascist,” or, my new favorite, “neo-confederate,” whether they actually are these things or not . . . .'
https://eternallyradicalidea.com/p/towards-a-more-perfect-rhetorical
Huh. Not sure why that was what got linked, it got changed by popular vote: https://eternallyradicalidea.com/p/is-the-efficient-rhetorical-fortress
Tell me if the following argument has flaws:
Left-wing ideology in the academy is severe and cemented. Left-wing ideologues in the academy brook no dissent. Ergo, left-wing ideology is a religion. To honor the principle of non-establishment, public funding (federal, state, local) of the academy is non-constitutional and should cease.
No need to micromanage 'viewpoint diversity', just stop funding the religious fanatics who masquerade as 'progressives'.
I for one think that Cornell University needs a little governmental intervention to bring us back to the truth seeking mission--even understanding that there is a slippery slope between a little intervention and goverment overreach. I also understand that government intervention during the Obama administration got us to where we are. I guess that I would welcome a little of the hair of the dog that bit us.
Thanks,
randy
A very brief summary of Siraganian's points:
We who control universities are the only people smart enough to know truth, so everyone else stay away.
But we are useful, so continue to pay us.
Marcusean repressive tolerance, plain and simple. The Marxian if not Marxist method of declaring certain ideas to be anathema, and subsequently "fascist" because they aren't Marxist.
Great post. Have restacked, along with several excerpts.
Well, at least number two was placed in its correct place, in scatological terms.
Instrumental rationality is about taking the most efficient means to achieve a goal, while epistemic rationality is about forming true beliefs. We've seen what happens when instrumental rationality has displaced epistemic rationality in universities in the past. Nazi Race Science. Lysenkoism. It doesn't matter how noble the aims- "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it".
"Is Higher Education even interested in reform?"
No.
"68% of all provosts rated their own campus climate as “good” or “excellent.” (Inside Higher Ed’s latest survey of university Provosts) https://heterodoxacademy.substack.com/p/under-pressure-college-administrators
Government incentives, what you call overreach, are needed. Incentives help when the goal is legitimate. Free speech and viewpoint diversity are legitimate goals. Too many in the university world are too lost to their dogma to even recognize their serious problem.
FIRE's absolutist purity is hurting the goal of campus reform.