[MD] Value and the Individual

[Platt Holden]

> >> [Platt]
> >> > Your loyalty to your university is admirable. But as for free-thinking,
> >> > do you find it somewhat "unbalanced" that so many of the faculty are
> >> > leftists?
> 
> >> You mean the students? no, why would it?
> >
> > No, I mean the faculty, as you described above.
> 
> I meant the students. From all of the lecturers I have had and the officials
> I have been in contact with I have very seldom been able to tell their
> political views. It is considered highly unprofessional and unethical for a
> teacher to let such things influence their teaching.

If I attended lectures and was in contact with officials whose political  
thoughts were like mine, I would probably never consider that they were 
influenced by those views in their teaching. We only recognize things by 
differences. 

> >> If a majority of the students make
> >> a Value assesment based on the historical and philosophical education
> >> they get that leads them to have a more center/left position in questions
> >> of politics in general I really only see that as people recognizing
> >> Quality when they see it.
> 
> Platt:
> > For a higher Quality result, you've recommended balance. I don't see much
> > here.
> 
> Don't get sidetracked now. Balance in the organization of social structures
> and between Dynamic Quality and Static Quality is not in relation to this
> specific fact. The education is balanced. And the Quality assesment the
> students make is that mentioned.

Are you suggesting that a good education presents just one side of an 
issue? Seems to me fair and balanced should apply especially in an 
educational setting. 

> >> [Platt]
> >> > Also, do you have data, such as a list of required reading materials,
> >> > to indicate that the rightist view is represented at least as much as
> >> > the leftist view?
> 
> Chris:
> >> Yes, that is part of what the Student Union does - makes sure that the
> >> required reading materials is as impartial as possible, and that teachers
> >> aren't imposing their values on the students.

Can you list some of the conservative readings that are required?

> [Platt]
> > What I meant was not that the reading materials be impartial (that's
> > impossible) but that students read materials that present intellectual
> > arguments on both sides of the political spectrum.
> 
> Yes. As an example from the area of History (my field) I can take the 
> Russian Revolution for example. When reading about that the literature and
> the lecturers make a point of presenting all the major interpretation-models
> that has been used over the years, and on the exams the students is asked to
> explain all these different interpretation-models. No one is pointed out as
> "the right one". This is the way such things is generally presented.

Excellent. What about the larger political and economic issues such as 
presented by Marx and Locke?







> 
> 
> >> [Platt]
> >> >Finally, is the university financed by the state?
> 
> Chris:
> >> Of course. What do you think we pay so much taxes for? It also makes it
> >> possible for anyone in the country to get student loans for up to 6 years
> >> with 0% interest.
> 
> Platt:
> > Since the state pays for the university would it surprise you that those
> > who run the university and the students who benefit from it just might be
> > biased in favor of the state?
> 
> 
> Faulty question. I mean, it is not a strange or controversial thing that the
> state funds the universities, not at all. Since the universities are to be
> politically unbounded, and there is as wide a variety of political opinions
> at the university as anywhere else it really isn't a controversy. For this
> reason I think there is few who oppose that the state funds the universities
> - if the government started to push political agendas on the universities
> I'm sure there would be a tremendous outrage right away - now we have a
> right wing government, but not even they would dream of totally privatizing
> the universities; let it be easier for companies to invest and sponsor the
> universities, sure, but not more. And the universities is expected to be as
> neutral as possible when it comes to political questions, so, no one sees it
> as a real problem, as indeed it is not. 
> 
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