Why are academics so liberal?


Recent surveys suggesting academics are disproportionately liberal have
caused some to conclude that universities discriminate against those
holding conservative ideas. They further suggest that people be
dismissive of anything emanating from "out of touch academics"
because it does not reflect mainstream thought. Why are so many
talented and highly educated people, chemists, artists, mathematicians,
archeologists, psychologists, physicists, geologists, economists,
biologists, and so on, liberals? What is it about getting an advanced
degree and dedicating one's life to the study of important scientific
and social problems that causes liberal views to emerge? My department
hires the best possible teachers and researchers. Politics plays no
role whatsoever in our Ph.D. admission or hiring decisions. The vast
majority of us are professionals who would never let personal politics
interfere with our academic conclusions. These conclusions often align
with liberal ideas regarding scientific and social policy issues, and
we promote such ideas vigorously because our goal is to make things
better for all of us. We care deeply about this community, this state,
about this nation and its role in the world. We pursue our academic
interests with passion and intellectual integrity. We have families,
safety concerns, we care about the values our children acquire. We live
in the real world. Please don't be misled into dismissing us
summarily as out of touch liberal professors whenever our academic
conclusions challenge your beliefs. Listen to all viewpoints with an
open mind and a critical ear, and then make up your own mind.

wrote:
Why are academics so liberal?


Recent surveys suggesting academics are disproportionately liberal have
caused some to conclude that universities discriminate against those
holding conservative ideas. They further suggest that people be
dismissive of anything emanating from "out of touch academics"
because it does not reflect mainstream thought. Why are so many
talented and highly educated people, chemists, artists, mathematicians,
archeologists, psychologists, physicists, geologists, economists,
biologists, and so on, liberals? What is it about getting an advanced
degree and dedicating one's life to the study of important scientific
and social problems that causes liberal views to emerge? My department
hires the best possible teachers and researchers. Politics plays no
role whatsoever in our Ph.D. admission or hiring decisions. The vast
majority of us are professionals who would never let personal politics
interfere with our academic conclusions. These conclusions often align
with liberal ideas regarding scientific and social policy issues, and
we promote such ideas vigorously because our goal is to make things
better for all of us. We care deeply about this community, this state,
about this nation and its role in the world. We pursue our academic
interests with passion and intellectual integrity. We have families,
safety concerns, we care about the values our children acquire. We live
in the real world. Please don't be misled into dismissing us
summarily as out of touch liberal professors whenever our academic
conclusions challenge your beliefs. Listen to all viewpoints with an
open mind and a critical ear, and then make up your own mind.

Source?

wrote:
wrote:
Why are academics so liberal?


Recent surveys suggesting academics are disproportionately liberal have
caused some to conclude that universities discriminate against those
holding conservative ideas. They further suggest that people be
dismissive of anything emanating from "out of touch academics"
because it does not reflect mainstream thought. Why are so many
talented and highly educated people, chemists, artists, mathematicians,
archeologists, psychologists, physicists, geologists, economists,
biologists, and so on, liberals? What is it about getting an advanced
degree and dedicating one's life to the study of important scientific
and social problems that causes liberal views to emerge? My department
hires the best possible teachers and researchers. Politics plays no
role whatsoever in our Ph.D. admission or hiring decisions. The vast
majority of us are professionals who would never let personal politics
interfere with our academic conclusions. These conclusions often align
with liberal ideas regarding scientific and social policy issues, and
we promote such ideas vigorously because our goal is to make things
better for all of us. We care deeply about this community, this state,
about this nation and its role in the world. We pursue our academic
interests with passion and intellectual integrity. We have families,
safety concerns, we care about the values our children acquire. We live
in the real world. Please don't be misled into dismissing us
summarily as out of touch liberal professors whenever our academic
conclusions challenge your beliefs. Listen to all viewpoints with an
open mind and a critical ear, and then make up your own mind.

Source?

MARK THOMA

Eugene

[Letter to the editor of the Register Guard on 12/7/2004]

wrote in message
oups.com...
Why are academics so liberal?


Recent surveys suggesting academics are disproportionately liberal have
caused some to conclude that universities discriminate against those
holding conservative ideas. They further suggest that people be
dismissive of anything emanating from "out of touch academics"
because it does not reflect mainstream thought. Why are so many
talented and highly educated people, chemists, artists, mathematicians,
archeologists, psychologists, physicists, geologists, economists,
biologists, and so on, liberals? What is it about getting an advanced
degree and dedicating one's life to the study of important scientific
and social problems that causes liberal views to emerge? My department
hires the best possible teachers and researchers. Politics plays no
role whatsoever in our Ph.D. admission or hiring decisions. The vast
majority of us are professionals who would never let personal politics
interfere with our academic conclusions. These conclusions often align
with liberal ideas regarding scientific and social policy issues, and
we promote such ideas vigorously because our goal is to make things
better for all of us. We care deeply about this community, this state,
about this nation and its role in the world. We pursue our academic
interests with passion and intellectual integrity. We have families,
safety concerns, we care about the values our children acquire. We live
in the real world. Please don't be misled into dismissing us
summarily as out of touch liberal professors whenever our academic
conclusions challenge your beliefs. Listen to all viewpoints with an
open mind and a critical ear, and then make up your own mind.


Professors are people afraid to face the real world. They like to be
surrounded by job stability and cushy jobs.

"Dan J.S." wrote in message
...

wrote in message
oups.com...
Why are academics so liberal?


Recent surveys suggesting academics are disproportionately liberal have
caused some to conclude that universities discriminate against those
holding conservative ideas. They further suggest that people be
dismissive of anything emanating from "out of touch academics"
because it does not reflect mainstream thought. Why are so many
talented and highly educated people, chemists, artists, mathematicians,
archeologists, psychologists, physicists, geologists, economists,
biologists, and so on, liberals? What is it about getting an advanced
degree and dedicating one's life to the study of important scientific
and social problems that causes liberal views to emerge? My department
hires the best possible teachers and researchers. Politics plays no
role whatsoever in our Ph.D. admission or hiring decisions. The vast
majority of us are professionals who would never let personal politics
interfere with our academic conclusions. These conclusions often align
with liberal ideas regarding scientific and social policy issues, and
we promote such ideas vigorously because our goal is to make things
better for all of us. We care deeply about this community, this state,
about this nation and its role in the world. We pursue our academic
interests with passion and intellectual integrity. We have families,
safety concerns, we care about the values our children acquire. We live
in the real world. Please don't be misled into dismissing us
summarily as out of touch liberal professors whenever our academic
conclusions challenge your beliefs. Listen to all viewpoints with an
open mind and a critical ear, and then make up your own mind.


Professors are people afraid to face the real world. They like to be
surrounded by job stability and cushy jobs.

The moron that wrote the original piece places the cart before the
horse.......it is not "getting an advanced
degree and dedicating one's life to the study of important scientific and
social problems that causes liberal views to emerge" rather it is the
liebral views that cause one to hide in academia where there failed ideas
are accepted, unlike the real world where they would be doomed to failure.

"Politics plays no role whatsoever in our Ph.D. admission or hiring
decisions" but it has everything to do with granting tenure.

"We pursue our academic interests with passion and intellectual integrity"
.......and expect somebody else to pay for it. and it fits their political
agenda

"We live in the real world" BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

I will post this as Chuck won't:

Now see there? All the guys who are convinced you aren't even the
tiniest bit interested in boating have to be at least partially wrong.
You are becoming an expert troller. Do you have any original thoughts
you'd care to share, or have you been instructed to repost the
propaganda?

wrote in message
oups.com...
Why are academics so liberal?



I will post this as Chuck won't:

Now see there? All the guys who are convinced you aren't even the
tiniest bit interested in boating have to be at least partially wrong.
You are becoming an expert troller. Do you have any original thoughts
you'd care to share, or have you been instructed to repost the
propaganda?

"*JimH*" wrote in message
...
I will post this as Chuck won't:

Now see there? All the guys who are convinced you aren't even the
tiniest bit interested in boating have to be at least partially wrong.
You are becoming an expert troller. Do you have any original thoughts
you'd care to share, or have you been instructed to repost the
propaganda?


And chuckie called my post propaganda? what a hypocrite

"Dan J.S." wrote in message
...


Professors are people afraid to face the real world. They like to be
surrounded by job stability and cushy jobs.


OK. When you need surgery, do you want the doctor to tell you he was taught
by a professors in college, or that he just sorta picked up the skill while
watching his dad clean fish?

"ObiWan Kenobi" wrote in message
...
"Doug Kanter" wrote in
:

"Dan J.S." wrote in message
...


Professors are people afraid to face the real world. They like to be
surrounded by job stability and cushy jobs.


OK. When you need surgery, do you want the doctor to tell you he was
taught by a professors in college, or that he just sorta picked up the
skill while watching his dad clean fish?

OK. When you need surgery, do you want the doctor whose education
consisted only of reading and lectures, or the doctor who interned in a
hospital with real live (and real life) patients?

True, but the genius I responded to negated the value of half the people YOU
just mentioned as being part of a good education. He's also assuming that
all professors are simply regurgitating what was taught to them earlier.
True for some, but certainly not all. If the genius thinks otherwise, then
he either never attended college, or attended a lousy one, or was involved
in nothing but sports.