Preview

Liberal Groupthink Is Anti-Intellectual Analysis

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
839 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Liberal Groupthink Is Anti-Intellectual Analysis
Liberal Groupthink Is Anti-Intellectual
Reaction Paper 2

Groupthink in the educational setting is a real serious issue. Academia has long been accused of it. The article “Liberal Groupthink Is Anti-Intellectual” by Mark Bauerlein is an excellent piece in describing the existence of groupthink in the educational arena and communicating its effects to the reader. I selected this article as it directly impacts me as a student but more importantly the article brought up something relevant in life, that groupthink narrows our minds. The whole concept of higher education is to broaden our minds and to teach us to think critically. This article did a nice job describing how groupthink has taken root in our colleges and universities and
…show more content…
It indicated a strong existence of Democratic or Green Party participants, 9 out of 10 instructors. If that is the case then there is inequality of diversity in educators. In order to have diversity in our educational system the ratio of liberal to conservative needs to be more balanced. Unfortunately there has been well-publicized discrimination against conservative professors. In researching this topic beyond this article, I found website after website of how conservative professors are the endangered species. Nothing could be more frightening. It has become a case where there is no freedom. This particular conflict is hurting our educational system and it is doing so much damage to our universities in the eyes of the world and our community that we face a problem of failing our young minds. The humanities are an example of a group that clashes with the views of the majority of Americans. This constant struggle could set us back to the point that it would take us many, many years to recover. Our professors all over the country who are professing to be on the right are feeling disenfranchised and that affects the students in the broad scope of things. Are the students learning to be critical thinkers and are they learning objectivity? No, they are not; they are only …show more content…
There must be balance, that a one-sided campus of either liberals or conservatives is bad for everyone. And the most relative quote of the whole article is that groupthink is anti-intellectual; it narrows one’s mind. How does this happen? According to the article, social science and humanities are the academics that shun conservative traditions and values and it is reflected in the curriculum of the two. So if the curricula and the hiring practice in these departments are liberal, conservatives are discouraged from pursuing academic careers in these areas. This happens mainly because of the subtle biases of the department. This becomes an indirect filtering process that starts in graduate school and keeps on through tenure and beyond. It is very clear that conservatives have a narrower chance for advancement, as any implication in the application process of a conservative view will halt the chances of upward mobility in

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Better Essays

    Keefe, R. (2001). What is the value of studying the liberal arts? University of Wisconsin Center…

    • 1234 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    But before this theory appeared in American social and political debate the ideological background in the United States had to change. American universities and schools since the end of 50s have transformed on the all levels of curriculum. The direct beginnings of transformation process of American schools and universities in respect of race’s diversifications date back to first court’s decisions in case of diversity of student’s groups. One of the fundamental decision in this case was court case, which influenced American society in 1954, known as “Brown vs. Board of Education and the Interest Convergence Dillema”. This case finally decided that diversity of public schools in terms of racial segregation is against constitution and has deleted…

    • 264 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Groupthink is everywhere. It’s in school, companies, fashion and religions places. The benefit from groupthinks in these places to share ideas and to know what everyone thinks about. People who like to sit in group for example, in school or in meeting to solve a problem or to share ideas about some homework or brainstorming, Groupthink will be the best idea for that. Not only in school or company business, but also in fashion and artistic, now many of them like…

    • 476 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    -"To me, liberal- arts education is as ineffective as it is now chiefy because they are a lot of stange theories in the air. (2)…

    • 332 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Group decision making can be very helpful in getting different thoughts and opinions out of discussion, but also can be dangerous because of groupthink. Groupthink occurs when people avoid individually testing, analyzing, and evaluating facts in order to avoid upsetting the consensus of a group. In effect a conflict occurs whereby some topics are okay to discuss while others are closed often without the group being consciously aware of it. Those who violate the unspoken rules often find themselves being ostracized, alienated and ultimately expelled from the group.…

    • 1079 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Mr. Brooks spends a lot of time explaining high end professions tend to have certain commonalities such as most college professors who teach Sociology tend to be democrats. So in return they only hire other democrats to fill vacant positions, thus eliminating diversity in the work place regarding politics. Some colleges only hire republicans.…

    • 637 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Cronon Only Connect

    • 3338 Words
    • 9 Pages

    students in the values of political liberalism, at least not in the most obvious sense of the latter…

    • 3338 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Better Essays

    As secretary of Education William Bennett says, “ they must become conscientious, caring, and attentive to every corner of their classroom” (Bennett, Pg. 180). Typically in a classroom setting there are students that are quieter than others, ultimately causing the students to not engage in conversation in the discussion. Bennett continues to state, “That professors should not just teach their dissertation or next article”(Bennett, Pg.180). Suggesting that professors should broaden their discussions by engaging all students in the classroom to allow for the best results when it comes to class discussions. From interviews across the country with countless policy makers and leaders, Hacker and Dreifus have come to a conclusion that a college’s main focus is to challenge the minds of young students. The question remains, are we doing this, or just providing an environment and structure to follow the opinions and thoughts of the…

    • 821 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Although liberal education produces individuals with critical thinking and analytical reasoning, but it…

    • 476 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Sanford J. Ungar Analysis

    • 992 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Higher education is not a one size fits all discipline. There has to be some to fill the factories, work the land, pave the roads and power the service industry. Unger is accurate in saying that the liberal arts should be available to everyone and everyone could benefit from this type of classical education; nonetheless not everyone is suited for such an education. The misperception that the liberal arts are for the elite is one that has been heard before but not nearly as much as the old “employers do not want to hire people with useless degrees” line which Unger obliterates with his next…

    • 992 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    For centuries institutes of higher education have been thought of as places where free speech and ideas can flow, free of restrictions. Universities and colleges alike served as hubs for people with different ideas to gather, argue, debate, and ultimately become more informed on various issues. However, over the past few years things have changed, and not for the better.…

    • 537 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    It seems that in this day and age the college curriculum does not only put emphasis on the giving and receiving of facts and information, but is inevitably being pushed in the direction of student entertainment. Subjects such as literature, philosophy, and history are not as popular as they once were, and are in danger of becoming extinct in the academic world. Mark Edmundson's essay, "The Uses of a Liberal Education", provides many interesting and valid points on why the liberal arts field is becoming devalued in the education system.…

    • 994 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Salvage the Bone

    • 488 Words
    • 2 Pages

    What is the role of higher education in America and in what ways does diversity in institutions of higher education benefit the students, campuses and society as a whole? The articles “Benefits of Diversity” and “Higher Education and Children in Immigrant Families” complement and strengthen each other’s argument. The former addresses that diversity in institutions of higher education can benefit members of society and society itself, while the latter asserts that immigrants from foreign countries can create and contribute to diversity and improve society by implementing the education and perspective that they received in college to everyday life. Immigrants can bring diversity to the universities and students, institutions and society can all reap the benefits diversity can provide. Simultaneously, U.S society and economy will potentially improve as more and more immigrants obtain the skills and education necessary to work jobs that are important for the “long-run strength of the U.S economy” (Baum and Flores 52). I will express this relationship by emphasizing the benefits of diversity such as open-mindedness, desegregation of communities, improvement in intellectual development, accelerated work productivity and demand for skilled labor and how these benefits can work together to improve the well being of society. The relationship between these two articles is imperative to understand as it conveys the keys required to ensure a flourishing society in America and to ensure future prosperity of American society and economy.…

    • 488 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Anti-Intellectualism

    • 437 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Since I have been attending college, I have noticed a lot of “student anti-intellectualism.” A lot of this concept is mandatory whether students and teachers realize it or not. College is for students who should want to better their education. Upon talking with different classmates, I have come to realize that students attend college for many different reasons other than to expand their knowledge. Some claim to come simply because their life became a bore and they want nothing more than to socialize with new different people, and possibly make new friends. Others are just fed up with their lives and their way of living due to the plummeting of the economy; therefore wanting to make more money. There is no better way to make more money than to have certificates or degrees claiming that they are intelligent. It is sad that people think this way.…

    • 437 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Free College Controversy

    • 826 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Many have concluded that the importance is confounded with the ideology that American universities have placed in front of academics. Warren Threadgold, a scholar, has said that the largest issue is that American universities have put more emphasis on Ideology rather than…

    • 826 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays