5 ms·

If you struggle with a teacher who respectfully challenges your views, you don't belong at any college.

huehehue 7y ago
I'd like to agree, but then we'd have an even larger uneducated and willfully ignorant mass. Perhaps we could be more tactful, or find some way of easing people into sensitive discussions. Quarantining those people, enticing as it may seem, will just make things worse.
- tomp 7y ago
  Is it still "education" if you're just confirming a person's preexisting beliefs? Remember, the guiding principle of science (and pursuit of knowledge in general) is skepticism.
  - huehehue 7y ago
    That's not what I'm suggesting at all, we shouldn't coddle anyone. I'm advocating for a system that can effectively handle pigheaded people so we don't end up with more anti-vaxxers.
jfoutz 7y ago
I'm sort of up in the air about it. Although you're more likely to change the mind of someone at university than anywhere else in the world, you're never going to change the mind of your professor. They've invested years if not decades in their opinions. I think pulling out the dirtiest, most underhanded rhetorical tricks is fair game in college. It's up to me to pick apart the nonsense. (Thanks philosophy!) I also think it's completely reasonable to say up front, these topics are off limits - for no reason whatsoever. It's hard to get a 17 year old to say, no discussion of X. Another aspect is, the classic victorian phrase, "you have the advantage of me". Some key word or phrase to indicate, i'm not prepared to deal with this, and you can't hold it against me. Not just can't, but will be held in contempt by every person participating in the conversation if you press the issue. It requires subtlety, taste and discretion. I don't think an arbitrary set of rules can actually capture the subtlety required. Can tact be a standard?
TheOperator 7y ago
I believe some students who struggle with "being challenged" could do quite well at something like a trade school. I believe that higher education doesn't have to wholly be an intellectual battle of the minds where only the strongest survive. You can just teach somebody a trade so they can put food on the table. You can teach people to be better writers, better reseachers, how to study effectively, etc. I believe higher education should be that PARTIALLY. However lots of students can get value from school without being put into a class which has difficult discussions about sensitive polarizing charged issues.

I'd like to agree, but then we'd have an even larger uneducated and willfully ignorant mass. Perhaps we could be more tactful, or find some way of easing people into sensitive discussions. Quarantining those people, enticing as it may seem, will just make things worse.

tomp 7y ago
Is it still "education" if you're just confirming a person's preexisting beliefs? Remember, the guiding principle of science (and pursuit of knowledge in general) is skepticism.
- huehehue 7y ago
  That's not what I'm suggesting at all, we shouldn't coddle anyone. I'm advocating for a system that can effectively handle pigheaded people so we don't end up with more anti-vaxxers.

jfoutz 7y ago

I'm sort of up in the air about it. Although you're more likely to change the mind of someone at university than anywhere else in the world, you're never going to change the mind of your professor. They've invested years if not decades in their opinions. I think pulling out the dirtiest, most underhanded rhetorical tricks is fair game in college. It's up to me to pick apart the nonsense. (Thanks philosophy!) I also think it's completely reasonable to say up front, these topics are off limits - for no reason whatsoever. It's hard to get a 17 year old to say, no discussion of X. Another aspect is, the classic victorian phrase, "you have the advantage of me". Some key word or phrase to indicate, i'm not prepared to deal with this, and you can't hold it against me. Not just can't, but will be held in contempt by every person participating in the conversation if you press the issue. It requires subtlety, taste and discretion. I don't think an arbitrary set of rules can actually capture the subtlety required. Can tact be a standard?

TheOperator 7y ago

I believe some students who struggle with "being challenged" could do quite well at something like a trade school. I believe that higher education doesn't have to wholly be an intellectual battle of the minds where only the strongest survive. You can just teach somebody a trade so they can put food on the table. You can teach people to be better writers, better reseachers, how to study effectively, etc. I believe higher education should be that PARTIALLY. However lots of students can get value from school without being put into a class which has difficult discussions about sensitive polarizing charged issues.