As both an undergraduate and graduate student, I have vivid memories of professors who habitually used their lecterns as bully-pulpits for one ideological point of view over others. For example, in an undergraduate course on the westward movement in American history, the subject matter was never touched upon; rather, the instructor spent the entire semester extolling progressive politics. In a course on the history of Greece, one student failed because of his view that Pericles was an ancient model for modern leftist dictators. Even at that very early age, I was very much aware that what was going on in those classrooms was not in accord with the traditions of open inquiry and academic freedom. |
| JOHN B. ON THE LECTURE TRAIL |
In graduate school, there was more of the same, but, perhaps, with more serious consequences. It was truly a travesty to see a graduate student who had been at the top of his class at V.M.I. and who had captained his school's GE College Bowl team hounded out of a graduate program, owing to his politically conservative views.
When I began my own teaching career, I vowed never to penalize students because of divergent views. When asked by those who frequented my classroom if I happened to be a Democrat or a Republican, a liberal or a conservative, I refused to divulge my ideological point of view, making sure that students understood that I was there not to tell them what to think but, instead, to provide an impetus for them to think. Consequently, in my courses in Western civilization, we covered a wide spectrum of thought, ranging from Gilgamesh to Hammurabi, Thucydides, Herodotus, Plato, Aristotle, Jesus and Augustine to Aquinas, Locke, Rousseau, Voltaire, Marx, Burke, Kropotkin, Hegel and Ranke. Along the way, I delighted in playing devil's advocate.
I like to believe that I performed at least a small part in preserving the treasures of Western civilization; and, by challenging young people to think, performed an essential role in strengthening America by enlightening young minds about the marvelous heritage that is theirs.
During the 1980's, a noticeable trend in higher education was to no longer exclusively teach Western civilization survey courses, but to meld the teaching of European history into a hodgepodge of world history, in which it was impossible to do justice to any one aspect of history. Of course, this was the result of an increasing emphasis on multiculturalism in American society. The damage, I believe, was two-fold. On one hand, American undergraduates were cheated, inasmuch as they were deprived of knowledge of the wellspring from which flows an understanding of the origins of those traditions which have made their own country exceptional. Secondly, world history courses tended to give the false impression of cultural relativity, which promotes the idea that one culture is as good as another. Famously, our own president, who cut his academic teeth in such environments, seems to hang the very tenor of his administration on this type of thought.
Since the immigration reform legislation of 1965, the United States has undergone a sea-change in ethnicity. Those claiming purely European origins of ethnicity amounted to nearly 90% of the population in the 1960's, but, by 2013, that percentage had fallen to 64%. From my perspective, that would make it even more essential that Western civilization should be an anchor of the curriculum in the 21st century.
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| ALLAN BLOOM (1930 - 1992) |
In 1987, a University of Chicago philosopher and classicist, Allan Bloom, published a seminal work, The Closing of the American Mind. It was Bloom's thesis that the teaching of the humanities and social sciences in American higher education had been overwhelmed by skepticism and irrationalism and had produced a relativistic way of evaluating the world and determining value. Indeed, rampant materialism was the result, and the desire for what was worldly had triumphed over the thirst for knowledge, and especially the knowledge that traditionally had been found in the classics of Western civilization. Totally out of step with the popular culture of his day, Bloom was deeply aware that the popular emphasis on"liberation" was without solid foundation, as the pop culture supposedly undergirding the liberation had as its anthems of "freedom" the stultifying strains of rock music, which made billions for its promoters and "artists," while it made automatons of its devotees. By 2013, it is safe to say, a tribal multiculturalism in America, with its undercoating of race and gender, has on many fronts traded the authenticity of Western culture for a bogus melange of diversity. Little wonder, then, that college graduates in 2013 are more apt to be able to identify Snoop Doggy Dog than James Madison.
Certainly, in 2018, we are a far different country than we were in the 60's. Nevertheless, the foundations on which were erected our freedoms and liberties evolved from Western civilization. If those diverse elements which are new to our country remain uninformed of this, we are cheating both them and ourselves. For, after all, immigrants from Asia, Africa and Latin America have, hopefully, been attracted to America by virtue of their desire for freedom and liberty. And only if they learn to value our history and traditions will our own liberties and freedoms endure.
Lest the impression be given that what you are reading is a mere racist and ethnocentric screed, it should be stated that the author by no means is of the opinion that other cultures and histories should be given short shrift. Certainly, in many instances, there have been grievous instances of cultural inaccuracies by 21st century American policy makers that show up time and time again in their public pronouncements. These inaccuracies are obviously part and parcel of their lack of true learning and, with that, there has resulted a diminution of respect for our nation around the world. Why is it, we should ask, do our allies now shun us and our enemies no longer fear us? Perhaps, in answering that question, we could start with the ignorance of foreign cultures prevailing at the highest levels of government. We should expect more and demand more of those who wish to occupy the highest rungs of responsibility for our nation's survival. However, at the core of American learning, prominence should be given and maintained for the basics of Western civilization.
I used to share with students that my years of living in the Middle East had left me with an appreciation of Oriental carpets. Just as fine carpets are judged by the strength of warp, weft and knots holding different strains of fabric together, so the tapestry of America, composed of many different ethnicities and origins, should be strengthened by a common foundation, in this case a base of values springing from our Western civilization. Accordingly, it should never be forgotten that the United States has achieved its greatness in an atmosphere characterized by the pervasiveness of Judeo-Christian values. To lose sight of this will not work to our advantage, for not to expose our youth to the heritage of their own culture is to leave them as prey to a new orthodoxy of race, gender, statism, anti-individualism, darkness and decline.
A thought for the day: "Government's view of the economy could be summed up in a few short phrases: If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. If it stops moving, subsidize it."
Ronald Reagan (1986)
Deo vindice!
God bless Texas, and may the Lone Star State remain forever red!
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