At the moment, it appears that nearly all elite universities are under investigation by the Department of Education and the House of Commons Education and Labor Committee due to widespread anti-Semitism.
In New York City, protests led to the arrest of numerous students at New York University and Columbia University, as anti-Israel protests got out of hand and raised concerns about the safety of Jewish students on campus.
These concerns for student safety are a key reason why the federal government and the House of Representatives have launched investigations into the university, leading to a series of harsh transitions from reprieve to institutions that have historically set U.S. higher education apart. It means falling. Of the world.
Calls for the arrest and prosecution of these protesters are growing on the campuses of these institutions, and universities are under increasing pressure to expel these disruptors.
But these government investigations, arrests, and prosecutions, while certainly helpful to some extent, have not only allowed, but actively encouraged, an entire generation of students to believe that this type of behavior is acceptable. It will not address the fundamental problems of higher education. In fact, it is their moral obligation.
For decades, secular educational institutions, from kindergarten to graduate school, have preached the gospel of value-neutral education. The general public believes that education simply provides information, and that individuals are free to choose how to interpret that information, or reach their own opinions and conclusions, without being influenced by educators. This is a common belief that is widespread.
But at the same time, too many secular educational institutions have repeatedly invoked their “values” when faced with some kind of public relations crisis or the question of what material to teach in the classroom. This appeal to the “values of the educational institution'' is a tacit admission that the education provided by each educational institution is fundamentally biased toward some value system.
In recent years, the education industry as a whole, and higher education in particular, has shed the mask of neutrality, eradicating dissent among employees and employees while providing education based on principles of diversity, equity, and inclusion. is publicly declared. student. Teachers who defend gender distinctions are fired, professors who publish contrary research are fired and publicly scorned, and students who profess beliefs contrary to institutional orthodoxy are disciplined.
This is education's dirty secret. Value-neutral education did not exist in schools. Because value-neutral education does not and cannot exist. No matter what teachers, superintendents, professors, or principals say, no matter who is teaching it, a set of values is being conveyed through education. Which values are taught is entirely up to the educational institution and the teacher.
In ancient Greece, Plato and Aristotle established an intellectual tradition that provided moral guidance through the Plato Academy and the Lyceum. The basis of their educational model was the formation of citizens with virtue and virtue. rate, thus instructing students to pursue excellence. Their model has been reproduced and adapted millions of times in ancient Rome, medieval Christianity, colonial America, and even today in many private schools.
This brings us back to the issue of anti-Semitism in higher education. The prevalence of the belief that Israel should not exist is a natural outcome of an educational philosophy that values resistance against perceived oppressors as the highest moral imperative. For these organizations, excellence is not found in ancient virtues such as wisdom, justice, temperance, and prudence. Rather, it is seen in confusion, anger, and self-indulgence.
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While these government investigations and law enforcement efforts may be well-intentioned, they do not address the root of the educational problem, which is the inculcation of a moral worldview that demands the kind of behavior currently seen on Columbia University's campus. I haven't. And other schools too.
No matter what steps Columbia University, Harvard University, Yale University, and the University of Pennsylvania take today to address anti-Semitic behavior on their campus quads, there must be a major overhaul of their moral pedagogies. For sure, anti-Semitism will return tomorrow.