Let the people decide
By: Will Hinson
Issue date: 11/20/09 Section: Opinions
Interpreting Ali Boyd's Nov 13 column, "Speak truth, not facts," proved to be a daunting task. Still confused after reading the article through a couple of times, I got a second opinion and a third and a fourth. No one could decipher the cryptic message of the enlightened illuminate, but what we think Ms. Boyd was trying to say is that Furman faculty should teach their own version of the "truth" rather than presenting both sides of the arguments and allowing students to formulate our own opinions.
I think that I speak for many students when I say that I came to Furman to develop my own identity through exposure to many different ideas, not to be told what to believe. One would think that the outlandish argument that Ms. Boyd tries to make would cause quite a stir, but she masterfully disguises it behind irrelevant social causes and disjointed ramblings. Her closing statement that, "Ideally, a teacher's vocation should saturate every part of his or her life, not simply burden students with the regurgitation of facts," presents, from what I can tell, the clearest representation of her argument.
What Ali fails to realize in her article is that everyone comes from different backgrounds and is entitled to his or her own set of opinions. If a professor exclusively taught what he or she felt to be true, then that professor would fail at his or her job, and the students in the class who dared to engage in independent thought would feel persecuted, if not explicitly penalized. Professors teach what they are passionate about, but they should do it in such a way that we as students are free to formulate our own opinions, whether in line with or contrary to the ideas of the professor. The "facts" that Ali rages against are vital for us to learn in order to strengthen our identities.
Boyd even has the audacity to suggest that Furman professors are not encouraging and stimulating critical discussion about significant societal problems. Anyone who has taken a class here knows that this is certainly not the case. Each of my classes has involved discussions of societal issues, and most of them have given me ways to get involved if I felt so inclined.
I think that I speak for many students when I say that I came to Furman to develop my own identity through exposure to many different ideas, not to be told what to believe. One would think that the outlandish argument that Ms. Boyd tries to make would cause quite a stir, but she masterfully disguises it behind irrelevant social causes and disjointed ramblings. Her closing statement that, "Ideally, a teacher's vocation should saturate every part of his or her life, not simply burden students with the regurgitation of facts," presents, from what I can tell, the clearest representation of her argument.
What Ali fails to realize in her article is that everyone comes from different backgrounds and is entitled to his or her own set of opinions. If a professor exclusively taught what he or she felt to be true, then that professor would fail at his or her job, and the students in the class who dared to engage in independent thought would feel persecuted, if not explicitly penalized. Professors teach what they are passionate about, but they should do it in such a way that we as students are free to formulate our own opinions, whether in line with or contrary to the ideas of the professor. The "facts" that Ali rages against are vital for us to learn in order to strengthen our identities.
Boyd even has the audacity to suggest that Furman professors are not encouraging and stimulating critical discussion about significant societal problems. Anyone who has taken a class here knows that this is certainly not the case. Each of my classes has involved discussions of societal issues, and most of them have given me ways to get involved if I felt so inclined.