Another radical political theorist

giving a talk at ASU

Parents, are you worried about the neoliberal university? “Neoliberal” is a term the neo-Marxists use to describe their capitalist opponents. The Marxists and the classical liberals were always at odds with each other. Briefly, the Marxists insist all of history must be understood as a conflict between oppressed and oppressors, with the only solution being a totalitarian government. The classical liberals believed that while history does sometimes contain oppression, the best remedy is for the individual to improve themselves through education and work.

The Marxists criticize the “neoliberal” university because it exists within a market condition that relies on competition and producing workers for the capitalist economy. I can sympathize with the critique that we do not want a university, and a humanities education, to be reduced to economic considerations. However, my problem with doing so is along classical liberal lines. The value of an education is to pursue excellence and bring out the best in humanity by coming to know all we can.

This talk promises to tell us about how the neoliberal university is somehow connected to Donald Trump, used by the alt-right to spread hate, and is, after all, based on white supremacy, violent misogyny, and fascism. Wow, that’s alot for one talk! You will often see the radical left using the alt-right as their straw man to attack all that isn’t radical left.

Parents, will there be presentations at ASU from alternative perspectives? When there have been this year, the faculty have tried to stop them. Strange that censorship comes from the radical liberal side. Or maybe that isn’t strange at all.