Reevaluating the Role of American Universities

American universities ought to uphold the public good, acting as bastions of liberal education. In doing so, they would champion free speech and foster communities focused on scholarship and learning that prioritizes courtesy, tolerance, and equal treatment. This environment would promote students’ abilities to ask questions, listen attentively, analyze evidence, form opinions, and present them effectively, while also communicating knowledge in the sciences, social sciences, and humanities.

However, the reality seems starkly different. Many universities now appear to suppress dissenting voices, discouraging objections that may disrupt campus norms. This often comes at the expense of fairness under the law and promotes a curriculum that is increasingly political.

Restoring liberal education in the U.S. is closely tied to refreshing liberal ideals.

For years, liberal ideologies have been predominant in higher education. It raises a pressing question: why haven’t these prevalent views been able to stop the shift towards an environment criticized for its educational shortcomings?

Several ideas can be explored here.

A Shift Towards Progressivism

One line of thought is that liberals have placed educational priorities behind progressive goals. Believing they discovered the right political pathways to create just policies, they seemingly neglected rigorous academic research in the U.S. and beyond.

This approach sidelined valuable debates over competing ideals. Liberals proclaimed what they considered to be definitive views on political conduct. Instead of helping students appreciate cultural heritage, the emphasis shifted to preparing them to reshape the world according to progressive interpretations of justice.

Another angle is that liberals may have exhibited an unfortunate mix of flexibility, complacency, and mutual dependence. Educators in the 1970s championed a variety of perspectives, but often equated diversity with advancing progressive causes. For them, education became a vehicle for political agendas.

By the 1980s, a shift had occurred, ending a generation of scholars from the earlier decade. The 1990s saw the emergence of speech codes under liberal professors, which impeded fair processes for students accused of misconduct while reinforcing politically correct ideologies within the curriculum.

As the 2000s progressed, faculty introduced new means to enforce a uniformity of thought, employing methodologies like trigger warnings and bias response teams. Many within liberal circles seldom challenged these measures, fearing the backlash of being labeled “conservative.”

American universities fundamentally mishandle dissent by punishing objections, celebrating intolerance, and politicizing education.

In the past decade, critical race theories and programs centered around diversity, equity, and inclusion have flourished, promoting a notion that “silence constitutes violence.” Liberals, in an attempt to avoid being seen as complicit in violence, have adopted trending theories that assert America is fundamentally racist and that both government and private entities must give increasing importance to race and identity in terms of rights and resources.

The third possibility emerges from a mixing of moral reasoning and ethics under liberal guidance. Courses on moral reasoning often present students with hypothetical dilemmas, such as choosing who to save in a runaway trolley situation, rather than instilling deeper ethical values. This focus creates a perception that moral life consists of clever reasoning towards progressive goals rather than embodying courage, honesty, or generosity.

Reclaiming Liberal Education

Examining these hypotheses helps understand why liberalism has faced significant setbacks in American education over the last three-quarters of a century.

Cass Sunstein, a well-respected scholar and former professor at Harvard Law School, offers insights into this challenge. His newly released book, About Liberalism: Defense of Freedom, seeks to amend liberal beliefs and affirm their necessity in a pluralistic society.

Sunstein tries to explain where liberals have faltered in managing higher education, linking this discussion to a defense of liberal values. Yet, his acknowledgment of the problem feels somewhat mild, akin to corporate executives lamenting financial losses without taking responsibility for their actions.

He highlights two qualities that liberals admire: freedom and pluralism. However, some argue that this understanding has become distorted, particularly in an environment where liberalism has faced criticism following World War II.

Sunstein’s book aims to clarify the essence of liberal thought, its commitments, and its evolution. He details how liberalism, rooted in premodern values like generosity and public spiritedness, became intertwined with concepts of limited governance and religious tolerance.

In contemporary political discourse, liberals diverge on issues of negative versus positive rights. Some emphasize the absence of government coercion while others advocate for government-provided assistance in various aspects of life. Scholars like John Rawls offer extensive frameworks to guide understanding in this area, while others focus on autonomy as the pinnacle of human achievement.

Sunstein leans towards progressive liberalism, celebrating John Stuart Mill’s notions of “experimentation.” He sees the government as a facilitator for citizens to experiment within a rational framework, advocating a limited role for state interventions.

His approach provides thoughtful insights into fundamental liberal aspects, like freedom of speech and the rule of law. However, this perspective also perpetuates a narrowed view of liberal identity.

Difficulties in Recovery

However, there are discernible flaws in Sunstein’s views. For instance, he misrepresents the core of liberalism; it should affirm human equality rather than be seen merely as a living experiment. This misunderstanding undermines the breadth of liberalism, which traditionally accommodates diverse viewpoints.

Additionally, Sunstein somewhat dismisses critiques from both the left and right, which could be unwise. All political ideologies can reveal important insights concerning the limitations of liberalism.

Lastly, Sunstein’s portrayal of liberals tends to idealize them as virtuous figures, overlooking the traditional wisdom ingrained in the works of classical philosophy and biblical texts. This naive view could blind him to the realities that have contributed to the degradation of liberal education.

Ultimately, restoring liberal education in America hinges significantly on the overall rehabilitation of liberal principles.