Views on Teaching Resonate Outside Class

In general, Lee C. Bollinger’s article, “Teach Ideas, Not Ideology” (Commentary, April 17), is persuasive and well reasoned. His concept of the “scholarly temperament” is a refreshing reminder of the business that universities should be about.

However, his argument that misbehaving professors, those who fail to adhere to the “scholarly temperament,” should be judged only by the “community of scholars” rather than “external actors” simply does not compute. If indeed the majority of the scholarly community is liberal, as conservative activist David Horowitz and others argue, then whose side will that community inevitably take in any conflict with opposing values?

This is why we have civilian review boards for the police, why we have civilian control of the military during wartime, why we have putative parental control over school boards and teachers. Internal discipline almost inevitably leads to even further abuse and injustice.

William Lomax

Woodland Hills

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I read Bollinger’s article about colleges teaching ideas, not ideology. I agree with him wholeheartedly that students should be exposed to a wide range of opinions on a multitude of subjects. Only in that way can we hope to have informed and open-minded people to lead our country in the future. It is difficult to imagine how this can occur in an atmosphere where political disagreements are said to be from a “lack of family values,” and are not discussed on their merits or for the good of the country.

It is impossible to imagine when the Senate majority leader is endorsing a group that espouses that those disagreeing with the president’s choices for judicial appointments are not “persons of faith.”

Why have we as a society degenerated to name-calling rather than became one in which a civil exchange of ideas is the norm?

Arthur Friedman

Newport Beach

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I wholeheartedly endorse Bollinger’s assertion that a “scholarly temperament” is essential to effective college teaching. When I -- and, I think, most other college students -- seek to distinguish good professors from bad, we don’t demand particular ideological stances; instead, we favor the teachers who are capable of conveying a broad range of viewpoints clearly and honestly, and who can help us evaluate all such ideas critically, including our own.

Because of this, I remain skeptical of efforts, particularly from the right, to “reform” academia.

These “reformers” don’t sound half as interested in promoting a more scholarly temperament on our campuses as in simply replacing left-wing professors like Columbia’s Nicholas “Million Mogadishus” De Genova with equally offensive right-wing ideologues.

Bryan Collinsworth

Los Angeles