College Textbook Bias

[MP5]

Jfh, I see what you're saying, but there is indeed a need to value the group, as well as the individual, as long as you want to maintain a functioning, polite society. On the purely practical level, we need to get along with each other to some degree whether we like it or not. Unless you want anarchy.

What's funny to me is how people always talk about liberal bias--and I don't debate that it exists--but neglect conservative bias. I've seen and met plenty of knee-jerk conservatives who are incapable of independent and intelligent critical thought.

at least in a country and society that values individualism as highly as we do.

A lot of that seems to ultimately be just historical residue and big talk in actuality. Look around at just how herd-like most Americans (indeed, people) are, whatever their party affiliation or political stance. Truly fierce individualism is a rarity. Look at how many laws and customs, big or small, that we all follow every day, typically without even realizing it or paying it any serious attention.

 

[boltaction]

I did not say every member of any college faculty was left wing. However, the FACULTY (meaning the sum of the individuals) has a strong inclination toward leftism, and they are far from impartial, in most cases. That is the definition of bias. That is my observation, integrated over 22 years in the profession, and nine years as a student before that, most of it spent as a leftist MYSELF. I have traveled extensively in this country, Canada, Australia, and the UK, as well as others. I have given talks, spent weeks visiting faculty, etc. and I presented my summary based on my observations over that time period and over a wide range academic experiences. It is not uncommon now to have speakers come into my academic department or into my classroom and ASSUME that everyone present is a "liberal" and bash any republican, any conservative, corporations, etc. Faculty meetings in my department regularly devolve into republican-bashing events, MORE OFTEN THAN NOT. That is a fact, not an opinion.

Boltaction