Following President Biden’s student debt relief plan, critics are targeting the value of higher education at both the undergraduate and graduate levels.
As Bloomberg’s Romesh Ratnezar writes, declining college costs leave many with “debts that can never be repaid.” For CNBC, philanthropist Laura Arnold argues that a “dysfunctional system” allows for “unmanageable debt from schools and programs that have failed to deliver on their educational promise.”
While such criticisms may have some merit, we must be careful not to use them as grounds for dismissing the entire enterprise of higher education. With the country’s basic (small) liberal democratic ideals under threat, there is a real value that higher education can offer. Habits of mind necessary for civil society to function well.
Liberal and democratic republics, formed to “secure the blessing of liberty,” are now being put to the test as large segments of the populace across the political spectrum agitate for illiberal ideas. This pattern manifests itself in countless ways. To prevent speakers, some may be completely averse to speaking. Prohibit education on historical truth and its relation to the present. We see an attempt to frame history only through a modern lens. Using educational institutions to transmit ideology rather than transmitting knowledge and tools of free inquiry. Giving powers to factions to undermine the electoral system. Prioritize equality of outcome over equality of opportunity. Using violence to obstruct lawful transfers of government and power.
These and other developments mark a general acceptance of the new illiberalism. It limits rights, freedom of thought, and the rule of law, and replaces them with tribalism, which is concerned with group-based cultural domination and distributive hegemony.
In many cases, some may foster this new illiberalism or hold the blame on the colleges and universities that modeled it, but the same institutions are critical to getting our country back from the brink of this abyss. It can play a role. This is especially true for law schools and other institutions that embrace a liberal arts approach to education.
true liberal art Education — Rather than stifle free thinking by instilling ideological orthodoxy in the doctrine, it provides the broad exposure and analytical tools needed to understand and imagine the world, fostering intellectual courage and intelligence. develop courage. Humility — Cultivate manageable citizens rather than undermine the liberal ideals that are essential to a thriving democratic republic.
the best legal Education sharpens the mind by training them to consider arguments from different angles, organize and argue the facts, and express their opinions clearly and effectively both orally and in writing. It can only be achieved in an environment that encourages the open exchange of ideas.As John Stuart Mill wrote About Libertythis free exchange is essential for liberal societies. [dissenters] They are deprived of the opportunity to trade error for truth, and if they are wrong, they lose the clearer perception and the more vivid impression of truth produced by the conflict with error,” wrote Mill.
Exposure to the complex and competing ideas found in liberal arts and legal education expands the ability to analyze information and think critically—a core capacity of citizens of liberal democracies. One of the main causes of the new illiberalism is disinformation. In other words, intentionally submitting false information designed to be misleading. Citizens trapped in echo chambers of information amplified on social media have lost their extensive knowledge of the world, their critical and analytical thinking skills, and a herd mentality dominated by beliefs based on emotion rather than thought. It is easy to fall into The acceptance of the illiberal ideas that seem so prevalent today is an inevitable consequence.
College and university leaders need to ensure that their institutions communicate the skills and values that keep students from falling into this trap. To keep our democracies strong, we need to continue to develop values such as curiosity, respect, an understanding of our common humanity, and an openness to heresy. It also includes evidence-based reasoning, the ability to identify and avoid logical fallacies, and, as psychologist Karl Wyck advocated, “arguing as if you were right and as if you were wrong. You also need to develop skills such as the ability to “listen”. That is what the best higher education should offer.
Benjamin Franklin told a bystander after the Constituent Assembly that he and his fellow countrymen were “a republic . . . if we could keep it.” We must do our part to strengthen liberal democracy. Supporting these institutions so that they are not only citizen-led but also serve as intelligent participants in civil society benefits us all.
A. Benjamin Spencer Dean of William and Mary Law School.