sexta-feira, abril 15, 2005

A Direita Americana Contra o Mundo Académico

Republicanos e conservadores constituem uma pequena minoria nos meios académicos, segundo estudos recentemente publicados.
Trata-se de um facto que muito preocupa o governo americano, que se prepara para propor legislação (Academic Freedom Laws) para combater a hegemonia liberal (no sentido que este termo assume no imaginário político americano) e os “nichos totalitários”.
Por que razão a direita republicana tem tão pouca expressão no meio universitário ?
O colunista do New York Times, Paul Krugman, dá a resposta :

"Scientific American may think that evolution is supported by mountains of evidence, but President Bush declares that "the jury is still out." Senator James Inhofe dismisses the vast body of research supporting the scientific consensus on climate change as a "gigantic hoax." And conservative pundits like George Will write approvingly about Michael Crichton's anti-environmentalist fantasies.
Think of the message this sends: today's Republican Party - increasingly dominated by people who believe truth should be determined by revelation, not research - doesn't respect science, or scholarship in general. It shouldn't be surprising that scholars have returned the favor by losing respect for the Republican Party."