Since joining academia, have you become more or less liberal than you were before?

[Hallelujah]

Translation: I'm a greedy doctor.

An attorney calling a doctor greedy? That's a good one.

[Hallelujah]

In theory "big government" run by the "best and brightest" can solve all our problems. In reality it can't.

Sure they can. Ask Russia and China.

[byu71]

Sure they can. Ask Russia and China.

Actually China may not be the best use of sarcasm. Maybe you meant North Korea.

[Sleeping in EQ]

What's wrong with seeking a little political introspection from the academics on the board? Your blog excerpt was a good insight into your views.

There's nothing wrong with it. If you count graduate school, I've been in the academy for 10 years now and have made a few observations:

1. The humanities are packed with liberals and some moderates. Any conservatives in the humanities are in languages or classics. They're often circumspect. The religious left has a presence here too.

2. Business, economics, finance, and the like have people with a broad mix of political leanings. There are those who have soured on business and have gone for the academy who tend to be liberal. There are conservative MBA types who like to teach and write.

3. The physical sciences also have people with a broad mix of political leanings. There is some entrenched conformity here when it comes to anti-religion stances, though. There seems to be more tolerance for Muslims and Buddhists.

4. The social sciences lean left, but as with the humanities, the differences are real and sometimes bitter. Lots of lefty in-fighting in the social sciences.

5. Engineering and computer science seem to tilt to the right, and also tend to be masculine.

6. Fine arts tend to be liberal, but there a few conservatives around. They can be detected by their listening to too much Wagner.

7. I haven't had much experience with the law schools, but suspect their is plenty of political diversity.

I challenge my students' assumptions regardless of their political opinions. Conservatives are more likely to come into class with a chip on their shoulders, but once they see that I challenge everyone, they usually relax and get into the swing of things.

I voted for Bush in 2000, but was "in transition." I'm moderately liberal now.

[UtahDan]

7. I haven't had much experience with the law schools, but suspect their is plenty of political diversity.

In my experience law school professors are profoundly liberal as a group. Law firms on the other hand are profoundly conservative, though this is changing some.

[byu71]

In my experience law school professors are profoundly liberal as a group. Law firms on the other hand are profoundly conservative, though this is changing some.

Is that true of liability lawyers too. My guess is the conservative lawyers are the corp., tax, estate lawyers. Liberal lawyers would be the trial and liability guys. Is my guess right or wrong.

[snowcat]

There's nothing wrong with it. If you count graduate school, I've been in the academy for 10 years now and have made a few observations:

1. The humanities are packed with liberals and some moderates. Any conservatives in the humanities are in languages or classics. They're often circumspect. The religious left has a presence here too.

2. Business, economics, finance, and the like have people with a broad mix of political leanings. There are those who have soured on business and have gone for the academy who tend to be liberal. There are conservative MBA types who like to teach and write.

3. The physical sciences also have people with a broad mix of political leanings. There is some entrenched conformity here when it comes to anti-religion stances, though. There seems to be more tolerance for Muslims and Buddhists.

4. The social sciences lean left, but as with the humanities, the differences are real and sometimes bitter. Lots of lefty in-fighting in the social sciences.

5. Engineering and computer science seem to tilt to the right, and also tend to be masculine.

6. Fine arts tend to be liberal, but there a few conservatives around. They can be detected by their listening to too much Wagner.

7. I haven't had much experience with the law schools, but suspect their is plenty of political diversity.

I challenge my students' assumptions regardless of their political opinions. Conservatives are more likely to come into class with a chip on their shoulders, but once they see that I challenge everyone, they usually relax and get into the swing of things.

I voted for Bush in 2000, but was "in transition." I'm moderately liberal now.

This is interesting. My personal belief is that most people lean politcally to the side that pays the bills. Dependant on government business, research grants, endowments or do you otherwise directly benefit from a larger government - you likely to lean to the fiscal left. Do you benefit from freer markets, lower taxes and a limited regulatory environment - you likely lean to the fiscal right. I am from the latter and lean accordingly.

Social leanings do not necessarily track with the fiscal. I consider myself a social moderate and a fiscal conservative. I do not feel like I am well represented in Washington.

[LA Ute]

Is that true of liability lawyers too. My guess is the conservative lawyers are the corp., tax, estate lawyers. Liberal lawyers would be the trial and liability guys. Is my guess right or wrong.

My law firm is full of ACLU members. I am quite sure that most larger California firms tilt decidedly left. In the LA office of my last firm (where I was for 17 years) I was the token Republican.

[LA Ute]

An attorney calling a doctor greedy? That's a good one.

Sadly, I know plenty of them. Docs are human too. Sorry.

[Jarid in Cedar]

You didn't put a poll option for: Wandering aimlessly in the political wilderness with steam coming out of your ears.

[NorthShoreCoug]

I am seriously taking this position. Seriously. I take issue with the entire notion.

Just because I am left-of-center moderate doesn't mean that you'll ever know it in my classroom. If my student wants to talk politics in my office, the poster of Rasputin and my knee-length beard should clue him or her in.
...

As you can see from his words there, he's acknowledging our differences but pointing out how easily we got along because of mutual respect for the other's way of viewing the world. My experience has been that there is no liberal bias in higher education, even if the overwhelming majority of the faculty are moderate to liberal. Certainly there are some bad eggs, just like there are some on the conservative side that show their bias.....but to cast a sweeping indicting net over all of us (and our profession, which we take very seriously) as liberally biased is hogwash and smacks of someone who has no idea what the cussword they're talking about.

I strongly disagree. There are many professors who take the approach you state here, and I have great admiration for these professors. But many - in my experience as a grad student and instructor at three different universities, I'd say a substantial minority - of professors in the humanities and social sciences use their post to push their political beliefs, often with little subtlety.

And why not? My only required course in my PhD program was basically a course in post-modernism. Truth is relative, everyone is biased and can't be objective, etc. This is standard in the academic world. If this is the case, then what is important is not the facts (since they don't really exist), but the ability to persuade people to your belief system. Facts are only useful to the degree they persuade to your point of view.

[NorthShoreCoug]

There's nothing wrong with it. If you count graduate school, I've been in the academy for 10 years now and have made a few observations:

1. The humanities are packed with liberals and some moderates. Any conservatives in the humanities are in languages or classics. They're often circumspect. The religious left has a presence here too.

2. Business, economics, finance, and the like have people with a broad mix of political leanings. There are those who have soured on business and have gone for the academy who tend to be liberal. There are conservative MBA types who like to teach and write.

3. The physical sciences also have people with a broad mix of political leanings. There is some entrenched conformity here when it comes to anti-religion stances, though. There seems to be more tolerance for Muslims and Buddhists.

4. The social sciences lean left, but as with the humanities, the differences are real and sometimes bitter. Lots of lefty in-fighting in the social sciences.

5. Engineering and computer science seem to tilt to the right, and also tend to be masculine.

6. Fine arts tend to be liberal, but there a few conservatives around. They can be detected by their listening to too much Wagner.

7. I haven't had much experience with the law schools, but suspect their is plenty of political diversity.

I challenge my students' assumptions regardless of their political opinions. Conservatives are more likely to come into class with a chip on their shoulders, but once they see that I challenge everyone, they usually relax and get into the swing of things.

I voted for Bush in 2000, but was "in transition." I'm moderately liberal now.

I would agree with this assessment of the political leanings on most campuses.

When I taught, I also tried to challenge students to think about their, and society's assumptions. I would guess that halfway through the course, most students couldn't tell you if I was conservative or liberal (except that my introduction to classes often included stating that I was LDS, which generally puts you in the conservative camp by default).

[wuapinmon]

Man, this was a good thread to re-read.


BYU71, have you given any thought to teaching adjunct again? I get the feeling that your life experience could benefit students these days given the short memories of most of the people in your field.

[Indy Coug]

Bump

[Mormon Red Death]

I get to vote in this poll now!

wait I can do better.

I always have to vote in polls due to being a college professor. What a bummer!