Universities and Truth

In his discussion of U.S. universities, Pfaff has made the error of confusing the movement for a more universalist foundation for a canon of knowledge with his unease at the relativist approach of “postmodern” literary theory. While the two may be related, they are not the same.

My particular concern is with his assumption that Western civilization is somehow morally superior to other cultures. The very foundations of our heritage in the Greek classical period to which he attributes the birth of morality, were intertwined with slavery at home and subjugation abroad.

Moreover, this perversion of morality has persisted until recent times in the “white man’s burden” and “manifest destiny” of colonialism and imperialist U.S. and European expansionism. This historical process included the devaluing of the cultural content and legacies of the civilizations that are now known as the Third World.

A critical understanding of our own Western history and how its conduct has deviated from our ideology is essential to moral progress. It is also vital if we wish to integrate our own citizenry from other backgrounds into traditional U.S. intellectual life on a basis of self-respect and mutual appreciation.

A more worldwide approach to the study of values and cultural development permits such awarenesses.

MARJORIE WOODFORD

BRAY

Cal State, L.A.