Lucky that universities hire mostly liberals

[question everything]

A great letter - not mine - in the San Diego Union Tribune:

Lucky that universities hire mostly liberals

Regarding the ongoing discussion about the preponderance of "liberal" versus "conservative" professors on university campuses, let me offer the following thoughts.

Liberalism is the philosophy of the broad-minded, the free-thinking and the tolerant. Conservatism advocates deference to tradition and is characterized by an unwillingness or slowness to accept change or new ideas (dictionary definitions, not mine). The relevance here is that while liberalism promotes "out-of-the-box" thinking, conservatism discourages it.

It is for this reason that the universities promoting "liberal" thinking are more successful in advancing knowledge. Let's not forget that it was "conservative" attitudes that led to the arrest and conviction of Galileo for endorsing the Copernican model of the solar system.

We are lucky indeed that "liberal" thinking pervades the faculties of our major universities today. Had "conservative" scholars controlled the advance of knowledge in the last few centuries, the Earth would still be flat. Like Kansas.

ENRIQUE LOMBROZO
San Diego

From http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20051219/news_z1e19letters.html (and scroll down)

[BOSSHOG]

1. I'll drink to that

What this country needs is more close minded bigots with no concept of liberty or freedom or expression of mind to teach our future leaders. Ignorant bastards who can be found in the ranks of young republicans on College campuses who lurk like wolves waiting for the next Copernicus or Galileo to present his two-cents worth. Yes the conservative mind, a wonderful thing that has already been wasted.

Thanks for the article.