"Obama is absolutely right. College isn't supposed to be about having our prejudices reinforced"
Glenn Reynolds of Instapundit explains why college is Camelot in Monty Python and the Holy Grail.
Writing at USA Today, Glenn Reynolds of Instapundit agrees with President Obama on this much:
President Obama is absolutely right. College isn't supposed to be about having our prejudices reinforced. It's supposed to be about learning how to think about ideas, and even to change one's mind in the face of new arguments and evidence.
It's also about learning to address ideas one doesn't agree with. As Aristotle said, "It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it." You can't do that if you're not willing even to hear unacceptable thoughts….
In Monty Python's Holy Grail, the knights decide to skip a visit to Camelot because "it is a silly place." With college costs (as President Obama has also noted) skyrocketing even as students seem to be learning less and finding greater difficulty obtaining suitable employment after graduation, higher education administrators should worry that more and more students will draw a similar conclusion. Perhaps President Obama's warning will get their attention.
Related: "President Obama Just Said He Opposes Campus Censorship. Here's How He Can Prove It," by Robby Soave.
Even more related: "Glenn Reynolds on the Future of Higher Education and How Kids are Getting Wise to Student Loan Debt."