Posted on 02/22/2006 10:15:41 PM PST by RWR8189
The resignation of Lawrence Summers as president of Harvard University tells us a lot about what is wrong with academia today.
When he took office in 2001, Summers seemed like an ideal president of Harvard. He had had a distinguished career in and out of the academic world, including having been a professor at Harvard, so there was no obvious reason why he would not fit in.
His fatal flaws were honesty and a desire to do the right thing. That has ruined more than one academic career.
Dr. Summers' problems started early on. He called in Cornel West for a private discussion of West's scholarly activities -- or rather, Professor West's lack of scholarly activities.
It was not that Cornel West was inactive. He was active as a great showman on television, he was active in politics, he was active on the lucrative lecture circuit, and he was even active in entertainment, writing and performing rap music. He was also popular with students, as any professor who gives out lots of A's is likely to be.
The kind of activity that Lawrence Summers wanted to see from West was the kind of activity expected from full professors at a leading university -- scholarly research and writing. Cornel West wrote lots of things in lots of places but even an editor of the liberal New Republic characterized West's books as "almost completely worthless."
Although the discussion between Summers and West was private, Cornel West himself made it a public issue -- and a public scandal. West and his supporters made this a racial issue. That made facts and logic irrelevant.
Summers apologized.
That should tell us all we need to know about Harvard and about academia in general. Neither truth nor standards matter when it comes to one of the ideological raw nerves like race.
Lawrence Summers touched another ideological raw nerve last year, when discussing why there were not more tenured women professors in science. Since he was addressing a scholarly symposium, Summers cited hypotheses and data that might explain the under-representation of women at the top in science.
Summers advanced what he called "the high-powered job hypothesis." Mothers have a hard time reaching the top in jobs where people work long hours and put everything else aside when the job requires it.
He cited another well-known and unchallenged fact. Although women and men have similar average IQs, men are over-represented at both the lowest and the highest IQ levels. Men outnumber women among both idiots and geniuses.
Since top scientists are drawn disproportionately from people at the highest levels, that is another possible factor in differences between women and men in high-end science.
Summers also cited other factors, including socialization and discrimination but this did not prevent another ideological firestorm from erupting. Summers was simply demonized and the faculty turned against him.
The only politically correct explanation is discrimination.
Summer apologized -- again. But, in the end, these hasty retreats did not save his job.
Despite incessant repetition of the word "diversity" in academe, the tragic fact is that the academic world is one of the most intolerant places in America when it comes to diversity of ideas. Even the president of Harvard dare not step out of line.
Parents pay the kind of money on which whole families could live, in order to have their children "educated" at elite academic institutions, hearing only one side of a whole range of issues -- race and sex being just two.
Even if every conclusion with which students are indoctrinated were true, unless those students develop their own ability to weigh opposing arguments, these conclusions will become obsolete as new issues arise in the years ahead. These "educated" people will have developed no ability to analyze opposing sides of issues.
Students are getting half an education at inflated prices and learning only how to label, dismiss and demonize ideas that differ from what they have been led to believe. Their "educated" ignorance is a danger to the future of this country.
Copyright 2006 Creators Syndicate
That's gonna leave a mark.
Let's see a man take maternity leave and come back to his job. In a sense, he's right. There are always exceptions to the rules, but if a woman decides to raise children, she gives up her career. This isn't new information.
No. But to then feminists and the PC crowd, it is unwelcome information.
Therefore, it must be suppressed.
Yes, but it's a fact a lot of high powered professional women don't want to hear.
They think they should have it all. Regardless of the fact that they are OFF THE JOB, their male peers are there slaving away, it just shouldn't make any difference (in their warped thinking).
Harvard is not a place to get an undergraduate education. It has nothing to do with education. It has everything to do with making the right contacts while pretending to get an education.
Liberals are the ultimate hypocrites who lie about everything and care nothing for the truth.
This is not new information either, but this little story needs to be exposed to more and more light.
And the public needs to understand that this blatant act is just another little piece of evidence that needs to be added to the other 1,999,999,999,999,843rd pieces of evidence proving that leftists are he most intolerant of all bigots.
The message needs to be repeated over and over: Intolerant, irrational leftist bigots run the education system like an old soviet gulag.
If you dare to mention an opinion that does not conform to their extemist dogma, you risk your career.
Nothing much to add to that. Sowell is absolutely right.
Too bad most of what we hear from a brilliant man like Thomas Sowell is mostly limited to his writings. I wish he would be more public & speak out on TV, but I guess that just isn't his style. America needs to listen more to the wisdom of his words....IMO, he's a true American icon!
American madrass?
Yes! And intended as such. Those of us who grew up in and admire the old America will have to get our needs filled outside the government. Needs such as education, healthcare, police protection, and many of the other things we used to be content with the government providing.
Can I add that economic "nirvana" called social security?
Thanks. I knew you wouldn't mind. :)
These tenured academics remind me of the eunuchs who controlled ancient dynasties in China and Persia. An insulated elite whose collective power outweighed even the Emperor's. And no, they don't want their palace rocked.
Or pretending to be on the job, while collecting the pay and the bennies.
Very astute and worthwhile observation succinctly put.
ping
Says it all, unfortunately. Whatever his other qualifications, the man has no spine. Now if Thomas Sowell were president of Harvard ... well, it would be a great show!
I wish Mr. Summers a happy and peaceful retirement.
I made this same argument to a liberal spouting co-worker 2 nights ago.
I mentioned also that was she willing to put in the hours per day/week/month that a man does, and sacrifice her family for it. If you're not willing to work as hard or as long, why should you make the same amount of $$$. Either you are a hyper-efficient worker, or you are an AA promotion.
She looked like she was a rabbit who was just seen by the wolf, and couldn't speak or move.
'Course, the one thing I despise more than a feminist is a lazy feminist.
And he was a Democrat.
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