Home › Forums › General History Chat › Here is an interesting tidbit I ran across today.
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March 2, 2011 at 2:18 pm #2695
scout1067
ParticipantAccording to a piece I read in the Washington Post today liberals are more likely to pursue a PhD than conservatoives are. The Quote is: “Among humanities majors, 19 percent of students on the political right expressed an interest in pursuing a PhD, compared with 30 percent on the left. While smart liberals are drawn to academia, smart conservatives choose other paths.” I wonder why that is? I will be snarky and say it is because conservtaives want to do something productive. However, it could be argued that being an educator is also productive.Well, Naturally we're Liberal is a good piece explaining liberal academia by a liberal academic.
March 2, 2011 at 5:08 pm #24215skiguy
Moderatorexplaining liberal academia by a liberal academic.
Kinda like the blind leading the blind.
March 2, 2011 at 6:24 pm #24216Phidippides
KeymasterAccording to a piece I read in the Washington Post today liberals are more likely to pursue a PhD than conservatoives are. The Quote is: "Among humanities majors, 19 percent of students on the political right expressed an interest in pursuing a PhD, compared with 30 percent on the left. While smart liberals are drawn to academia, smart conservatives choose other paths." I wonder why that is? I will be snarky and say it is because conservtaives want to do something productive. However, it could be argued that being an educator is also productive.Well, Naturally we're Liberal is a good piece explaining liberal academia by a liberal academic.
I guess then that I am bucking this trend. ;DI think some of this is because students aspire to become like those who teach them. In most universities, professors lean to the left, so left-leaning students will think of academia as a place where liberal thought prevails. Meanwhile, conservative students will see academia as a hostile place.Perhaps not coincidentally, the professors at my undergraduate institution were by and large conservative.
March 2, 2011 at 6:39 pm #24217Vulture6
ParticipantWhile smart liberals are drawn to academia, smart conservatives choose other paths." I wonder why that is? I will be snarky and say it is because conservtaives want to do something productive. However, it could be argued that being an educator is also productive.Well, Naturally we're Liberal is a good piece explaining liberal academia by a liberal academic.
Okay, here's my cynical streak -- there's less accountability in academia.
March 3, 2011 at 9:30 am #24218scout1067
ParticipantI wqould guess the original story is right that political beliefs in academia broadly mirror society. I think we just tend to hear about the liberals because they make so much more noise, like they do elsewhere in society.
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