Unpersuasive book argues that higher education should have a leftist bias

George Leef

In this week's Pope Center Clarion Call, I review a book by emeritus English professor Donald Lazere entitled Why Higher Education Should Have a Leftist Bias. The book is utterly unpersuasive and unpleasant to read for the author's hostility towards those who don't share his rosy view of big government. The book reminds me of something that sociology professor Jonathan Haidt said about himself in his earlier days, "I hated Reagan but had never actually met a conservative."

Lazere contends that if American college students were better taught, they could break free of the overwhelming "conservative/corporate" belief system most grow up with. Unfortunately, to him that means instructing them that they need to hunt for bias in writings, which will usually lead to fallacious reasoning about the merits of a piece, and suggesting that real socialism could be great. Instead, students ought to learn how to employ logic and if more did so, they'd be less apt to fall for deceptive argumentation that comes at them from all angles. If that were to happen, I think we'd see a greater decline in support for the leftist project of expanding the scope of government than for the "conservatism" that Lazere loathes (but little understands).

  • Share

Most Commented

November 19, 2024

1.

Lee Zeldin Should Reform EPA Science Policy

NAS welcomes the nomination of Congressmen Lee Zeldin to lead the Environmental Protection Agency....

October 29, 2024

2.

The Looming Irrelevance of Middle East Study Centers

Today’s Middle Eastern Studies Centers are facing a crisis due to the winds of change in the Middle East and their own ideological echo chamber....

September 25, 2024

3.

NAS Statement on University of Pennsylvania Sanction of Amy Wax

The National Association of Scholars is outraged—but not surprised—by Penn's decision to penalize Wax for exercising her academic freedom. ...

Most Read

May 15, 2015

1.

Where Did We Get the Idea That Only White People Can Be Racist?

A look at the double standard that has arisen regarding racism, illustrated recently by the reaction to a black professor's biased comments on Twitter....

October 12, 2010

2.

Ask a Scholar: What is the True Definition of Latino?

What does it mean to be Latino? Are only Latin American people Latino, or does the term apply to anyone whose language derived from Latin?...

September 21, 2010

3.

Ask a Scholar: What Does YHWH Elohim Mean?

A reader asks, "If Elohim refers to multiple 'gods,' then Yhwh Elohim really means Lord of Gods...the one of many, right?" A Hebrew expert answers....