“Reason and empirical debate are essential to the functioning of a liberal democracy. We need a common discourse to deliberate. We need facts independent of anyone’s ideology or political side, if we are to survive as a free and democratic society. … And if a university cannot allow these facts and arguments to be freely engaged, then nowhere is safe. Universities are the sanctuary cities of reason. If reason must be subordinate to ideology even there, our experiment in self-government is over.”
As a geeky engineering student (who was too busy working, and commuting, unable to afford to live on campus), I managed to avoid this entire discourse, my liberal worldview firmly rooted only in the things I’ve read and experienced, but it terrifies me that little L probably won’t be as lucky.
I hope to be able to teach him critical thinking, empathy and reasoning enough to make his own conclusions, and able to change them when facts point in that direction, and hope that they will align with mine. I also hope that liberal democracy still endures despite threat from Trumpism, intersectionality, and religious fundamentalism.
tinfoilparachute 