Jonathan Goodman's Political Commentary
This page records miscellaneous thoughts on politics. Feel free to
respond
here. I will post
replies that I find interesting.
- Justice Antonin Scalia June 22, 2004.
Even liberals who disagree with most of what Supreme Court Justice Antonin
Scalia writes sometimes say he has a "brilliant legal mind". I've often
been skeptical. As a mathematician, I would doubt the competence of another mathematician if most of what he or she said was wrong. Here is a vignette
consistent with supposition of incompetence.
. . .more. . .
- NY Times columnist David Brooks asks why college graduates are
liberal. June 30, 2004.
Conservatives keep trying to explain the phenomenon that college professors
are predomanently liberal. Most recently, New York Times columnist David
Brooks tried to explain a more general phenomenon that college graduates
tend to be liberal. His theory: knowledge makes one closed minded.
Once one has learned a certain amount, the ability to form new opinions is
lost. As I get older, I do notice certain capacities whithering. I am unable
to form a favorable opinion of hip hop lyrics ("Get out the way, Bitch")
even though I didn't mind the 60's version ("I see a need to run over you."
Jimi Hendrix). Moreover, Brooks' idea is a pleasent alternative to the
previous suggestion, which is that college professors are liberal because
only a liberal can get tenure.
. . . more. . .
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Last revised June 8, 2004.