Can a University Education Change Hearts?

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On the other hand, in right-wing British and American publications it's an article of faith that universities are indoctrinating students and transforming naive young people into radical leftists committed to Marxist values, the dogma of "critical race theory", and the overthrow of Western civilisation. You can see such assertions being made in the Daily Telegraph, the Spectator and other similar outlets with monotonous frequency.

I teach in a university, and I can't even get my students to format their references correctly!

I think this is less about personality change. The personality didn't change, values changed.

I have met people with degrees and they have not got the hands to bless themselves with.

Totally useless.

What you need is a good hard man who has dragged himself up by his bootstrap and is able to deal with every situation be it intellectually or just mucking in to get the job done.

@ponderable said
I think this is less about personality change. The personality didn't change, values changed.

Agreed for people who grow up in a socioeconomic, cultural and possibly ethnic bubble the kind of diversity of people and ideas you find at many universities can be an eye opening and informative but probably not a formative experience. I would think the base personality is formed long before university age.
I have seen people undergo a significant change of outlook and opinions though most just identify and join their personal echo chambers / cliques.

I think, generally, the higher the education, the more international and historic one’s perspective becomes.

Obviously, certain university educations are exempt (law; unless it’s international law, for example).

This critical race theory malarkey... good grief.
On one hand it’s breeding a culture of activism. Which is generally not a bad thing. Although there is a time and place for it and uncontrolled friction within society has a tendency, historically, to swing “less inclusive”; if you get what I mean.

On the other hand it’s leading to alt-right and neo-nazi groups screaming about cultural Marxism (which the Nazis called cultural- or Jewish Bolshivism).
And then people, like Jordan Peterson, have catapulted it mainstream by yacking on about postmodernism and severing the nazi-connection in people’s minds, so it doesn’t sound fascist anymore.

One should be wary about political correctness.
And one should always try to be polite.

And in that balance there resides rational thought and the Spock like lifting of an eyebrow at the ensuing insanity of everyone pushing extremist agendas.

The post that was quoted here has been removed

"Margolyes is a member of the ENOUGH! coalition, a UK group which advocates
the boycott of Israel. She is also a signatory of Jews for Justice for Palestinians.[32]
She said, "What I want to try to do is to get Jewish people to understand what's
really going on, and they don't want to hear it. If you speak to most Jews and say,
'Can Israel ever be in the wrong?' they say, 'No. Our duty as Jews is to support Israel whatever happens.' And I don't believe that. It is our duty as human beings to report the truth as we see it."
--Wikipedia


Interesting post. To your original question I would answer, YES! A university education can change hearts. I've seen many examples of this through the years, in fields such as business, law, engineering etc. people have entered university with rigid views, only to have changed them when they acquire a deeper understanding of not only their selected fields of study, but the university's core curriculum, and of of the world around them. It's a pity higher education has become something to be insulted and scorned of here in America.