a physician, is a professor of medical ethics and health policy at the University of Pennsylvania, where he also serves as vice provost for global initiatives. “Colleges and universities need to be more self-critical and rethink what it means for students to be educated. Higher education has been reducing requirements for the past 50 years, with a few exceptions. At the same time, academia has become more hesitant: We often avoid challenging our students, avoid putting hard questions to them, and avoid forcing them to articulate and justify their opinions. All opinions are equally valid, we argue. We are fearful of offending them. This flies in the face of what a liberal education should be. Liberal education should be built around honing critical thinking skills and moral and logical reasoning so students can become engaged citizens.”
You can read Professor Emanuel’s full commentary (New York Times) here.
