I am not saying that all educated people are open minded, nor am I saying all uneducated people are close minded, but you cannot make a gereralization that more educated people are not as open minded. In fact I have always noticed the opposite. People that possess the mental facilities to be successful in higher education usually have an open and analytical mind. Give them good information and they will listen. Give them faulty information and they will tear you apart. They tend to have a prove it or shut up attitude and sometimes do not believe anything they cannot discern to be true on their own. That is why they do not like people like Rush who twists facts or just makes stuff up. I have a book completely devoted to things Rush said and then the truth about the same topic.
I agree with you, Penguin. I am currently enrolled in grad school and this past week my professor started to discuss the research project we will have to do. His emphasis was not on the number of references we have, but on the quality of those references. He values studies presented in academic journals since they usually involve some type of test to prove or disprove a theory. He frowns on books that exist soley as someone's rantings.
My undergraduate education provided me with a foundation of many concepts. My graduate education is teaching me how to apply those concepts as well as showing me if they hold any water. There is a premium placed on research in most graduate programs.
I am not a big fan of generalizations or stereotypes, but the fact is we ALL make them. I have a strong disdain for "Someone said this... the guy on the radio says... I read on the internet..." Situations like that have created some tension between my fiance and I because she'll say something and I'll ask for proof. Show me an article, a study, a report... something CREDIBLE. An op-ed piece from a backwoods newspaper doesn't count. Neither does Rush's book, Al Gore's book, or anyone elses book.
I will respect an anti-gun person's wishes if they choose not to like guns. I don't expect them all to have rational reasons for it. I don't like peanut butter... just because. However, it's when people try to support their decisions with misinformation that most of us seem to get upset. I'd rather dislike something based on "just because" rather than on twisted lies, flawed statistics, and out-of-context statements.
I feel the primary benefit of higher education is that it provides people with the tools to make an informed decision. They will know where to look for information, how to organize it, and how to present it. However, just because they have these tools it doesn't mean they'll make a rational or logical decision. A gun is a tool - we can use it properly for defense and sporting purposes, or improperly for murder and violence. Of course, even the best research can be flawed and not all socially accepted practices are ethical. Eugenics is a prime example of a movement rooted in science, supported by the government, and encouraged by some of the best minds of its time.