Minding The Campus John McGinnis has said that the rich help society, especially colleges and universities. His new book, Why Democracy Needs the Rich, argues that wealthy individuals continue to shield higher education from a complete takeover by leftist ideological conformity. Because they are financially independent and not bound by contracts, tenure, or ostracization, they have challenged the intelligentsia, strengthened ideological diversity, and prevented the growth of bureaucracy.
McGinnis labels journalists, academics, and entertainers as the intelligentsia, groups of highly educated people who greatly influence American politics and culture. Their defect is that they misunderstand human nature. They try to perfect humanity via government intervention, wealth redistribution, and collectivism, not realizing that equality of conditions means everyone will be equally miserable and poor. He says the intelligentsia “often focuses on abstract ideals of how society should function, with less consideration for the practical realities and constraints of change.” He is right. Journalism has become the diary of the bleeding-heart liberal, academia has turned into boot camp for social justice warriors, and the entertainment industry is so far removed from reality that it is laughable.
The intelligentsia has found a haven in American universities, intellectual bubbles of theory and abstraction about how humans should behave. McGinnis continues, “While journalists describe the world, academics model it, and artists and entertainers imagine it, they rarely handle the concrete execution of plans in business or government.” And so, the rich step in. They understand free-market systems and the effects public policies have on regular people. The rich do not try to perfect human nature: they take risks, adapt, and create solutions that help the most people. The rich have their wealth as a result of ideas that work well. It is data that proves theories incorrect. And if the intelligentsia responds critically, it still will not affect the wealth of the rich.
Read Full Article Here… | Minding the Campus
Home | Caravan to Midnight (zutalk.com)
Be First to Comment