Dangers of Left Leaning Academia
Academics are left leaning in most countries. As Jonathan Haidt wrote : “Most people know that professors in America, and in most countries, generally vote for left-leaning parties and policies.” A recent survey in social psychology showed a left to right ratio of 14:1! This would by typical of the ratio in most academic circles. But does that even matter? Yes, because of the not-too-uncommon perception that professors are right because of their degrees and qualification (the halo effect) rather than the strength of their arguments. That’s when it hit me that academics being left leaning is a non-issue in the sciences: nature is the way it is; and your opinions don’t change the truth. And in sciences, facts, theories and experimental data will win the day…eventually, if not immediately. But does the left leaning matter in the social sciences? Yes, says Haidt, because it leads to a “political diversity crisis”: “(Such a lack of diversity would mean that academics) contin...