What was it that one learned through a great books curriculum? Certainly not "conservatism" in any contemporary American sense of the term. We were not taught to become American patriots, or religious pietists, or to worship what Rudyard Kipling called "the Gods of the Market Place." We were not instructed in the evils of Marxism, or the glories of capitalism, or even the superiority of Western civilization.
As I think about it, I'm not sure we were taught anything at all. What we did was read books that raised serious questions about the human condition, and which invited us to attempt to ask serious questions of our own. Education, in this sense, wasn't a "teaching" with any fixed lesson. It was an exercise in interrogation.
To listen and understand; to question and disagree; to treat no proposition as sacred and no objection as impious; to be willing to entertain unpopular ideas and cultivate the habits of an open mind — this is what I was encouraged to do by my teachers at the University of Chicago.
It's what used to be called a liberal education.
The University of Chicago showed us something else: that every great idea is really just a spectacular disagreement with some other great idea.
Bret Stephens's speech warrants a full read. It makes valuable points that we all need to hear, even on SN.
(Score: 4, Insightful) by fyngyrz on Wednesday September 27 2017, @06:11PM (1 child)
I think it's also fair to say that when authority provides answers, but the answers are bullshit – which is quite common – that authority is also bogus.
The problem is that authority is not the same thing as power.
For instance, the vast majority of the answers the government puts forth about the "war on drugs" are utter bullshit. But that doesn't mean they won't stomp you and your family and your future into the ground based on those answers.
Same goes for quite a few other things.
(Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Thursday September 28 2017, @01:37AM
BINGO!!
We've all watched videos of cops killing young black males unjustifiably. The Rice kid in Cleveland is my number one example. Cops all but run the kid down with their car, jump out, and start shooting. This is a horrible example of abuse of authority - murdering someone's child with impunity. Authority only has bogus bullshit answers to our questions. Obviously, this and other police departments are out of control.
But, we the people are so busy pursuing other agendas, that we can't even agree that the police need to be reined in.
How the hell do we ever force the police to exercise proper authority in a responsible manner? THAT is a worthy goal, and entirely achievable, IF we the people would just unite.
But, those agendas are all getting in the way.