Professors and Motives

Submitted by J. Scott Dikes (United States), Nov 13, 2002 at 13:28

Pipes does point out a very valuable observation: too many profs who haven't put in the legwork for history are passing theselves off as experts for the public. I work with profs who teach business, composition, grammar, Latin, and who seem to think that they are the solutions to the situation regardless of whether they have studied it or not. Why? Good question...one that delves deeply into the the psyche of most professors. Simply put, the majority of professors think that they have the answers to problems on campus, problems in the economy, problems around the world if only someone would pay attention to them. For a more fleshed out version of this argument, get a copy of "This Beats Working for a Living" (written by a historian and professor) and read the parts about how the typical prof views the world around him.

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