Liberalism in Academia

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Geremia

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After reading this article on liberalism in academia, I have begun to realize that I must not pursue a further career in academia as a Catholic. I feel that I cannot associate with people with such liberal, anti-religious, anti-Catholic viewpoints for, as St. Francis de Sales says in his Introduction to the Devout Life,
friendship is the most dangerous of all affections, because any other love may exist without much mental communication, but as friendship is founded thereon, it is hardly possible to be closely bound by its ties to any one without sharing in his qualities.
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I cannot see how the Church can be present in the university as this Vatican document claims. Pope Gregory XVI said in his encyclical Mirari Vos:
Furthermore, academies and schools resound with new, monstrous opinions, which openly attack the Catholic faith; this horrible and nefarious war is openly and even publicly waged. Thus, by institutions and by the example of teachers, the minds of the youth are corrupted and a tremendous blow is dealt to religion and the perversion of morals is spread. So the restraints of religion are thrown off, by which alone kingdoms stand. We see the destruction of public order, the fall of principalities, and the overturning of all legitimate power approaching. Indeed this great mass of calamities had its inception in the heretical societies and sects in which all that is sacrilegious, infamous, and blasphemous has gathered as bilge water in a ship’s hold, a congealed mass of all filth.
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Indeed these authors of novelties consider that a “foundation may be laid of a new human institution,” and what Cyprian detested may come to pass, that what was a divine thing “may become a human church.”
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What are your opinions?
 
I have an MA in philosophy, and it’s true: you’re likely to face constant heat and pretty ideologically twisted views. I try to be moderate: it’s interesting how some campus liberals are SO lefty that their whole perspective is warped.

One other thing that kind of turned me off (in addition to the major factor of negative job growth in my area) was that I’d always be around 18 year olds, college age kids, for much of my work. Not sure I like that much dedicated exposure to just one age group. Figured it would get to me.

I think the working conditions (and conditions for getting ahead in your field, being socially accepted, etc.) may not be to your liking. This said, a college campus in the summer time is a pretty mellow place, and has plenty of nice, quality of life amenities.
 
maybe it was just coincidence, but in undergrad ALL if my profs were very conservative.

and even now in grad school i only know of 2 that are pro-abortion. and those are pathology profs , and only when a disease is discorved with no hope for the child to survive. i dont agree with them, but found it odd that they were that moderate. besides that theyre all conservative, on any issue you could name.

it might be regional or it might be by field. but since ive always been in science fields i doubt it…we tend to get a bad rap.
 
Geremia said:
After reading this article on liberalism in academia, I have begun to realize that I must not pursue a further career in academia as a Catholic. I feel that I cannot associate with people with such liberal, anti-religious, anti-Catholic viewpoints for, as St. Francis de Sales says in his Introduction to the Devout Life,I cannot see how the Church can be present in the university as this Vatican document claims. Pope Gregory XVI said in his encyclical Mirari Vos:What are your opinions?
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You could always go to an orthodox Catholic School
 
aggiecatholic05 said:
maybe it was just coincidence, but in undergrad ALL if my profs were very conservative.

and even now in grad school i only know of 2 that are pro-abortion. and those are pathology profs , and only when a disease is discorved with no hope for the child to survive. i dont agree with them, but found it odd that they were that moderate. besides that theyre all conservative, on any issue you could name.

it might be regional or it might be by field. but since ive always been in science fields i doubt it…we tend to get a bad rap.
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Amazingly enough in academia there tend to be more conservatives in the hard sciences than in the humanities so your experience is somewhat rare but not altogether. There is no contradiction between science and faith but there is great contradiction between the theoretical and epistemological underpinnings that influence our English, Literature, Philosophy, Religious Studies departments and also the departments of the softer sciences. Liberal Arts Graduate Studies in most public schools and probably many ‘Catholic’ Schools is nothing short of indoctrination in marxism, moral relativism, feminism and hedonism.
 
am trying to think what line of work you would pursue where you would not have to maintain professional, courteous relationships with people of all manner of political and ethical views, unless you work for the Church, and let me tell you, you have not met real liberals who put their views to work until you have worked in the Church.

Your best course is to strengthen your own faith and spiritual life, discern your vocation and follow it as the Holy Spirit directs you, and follow your baptismal call to evangelize wherever you are. Having worked in academic settings for many years, I can assure you this will be fertile field for Christian witness.
 
If you want to be a research scientist or teacher I would determine which natural science you want to study and then go to a school that is ranked higher for that discipline and and/or within your budget. Some of the schools that are ranked higher may be Christian or Catholic universities and those environments will probably be more open to discussion about the gospel. However, there is no reason that a local public university wouldn’t be a good place to study a scientific discipline. What is most important is that during your study of the science that you stay involved in the parish, in your prayer and sacramental life and reading scripture. It will help you integrate and operate from both faith and reason.

It is true what puzzleannie said, these setting are fertile for Christian witness (and I would argue begging for it.)

As far as I know, there aren’t any of the orthodox Catholic universities or colleges that people often mention in the US that have grad programs in the natural sciences.

I encourage you to continue in academia. What an opportunity to share the wonder of God’s creation.
 
Why would you NOT continue in academia? I’m pursuing a PhD in a biomedical science right now. I enjoy shattering my atheist advisor’s prejudices against Christians. Academia needs us to provide balance.
 
I’m a university teacher among liberal postmodern poststructuralist etc. people 😃 .

I wear a cross around my neck and confess my faith freely. All I seem to be getting so far are sincere questions of interested people. My faith is more stable than before I started this job, as in I pray more and trust God more, but that could be because I’ve always thrived on being ‘different’, since I was a teen. 🤷

I love the 18-22 age group, by the way. 😃 They’re old enough to think, but not too old to really think, you know? :o

Other than this, I have nothing to add to what puzzleannie and Jen said.
 
Puzzleannie offers her usual good advice and clear thinking here. She is right on this matter. To get a fuller understanding of the nature of the academic world, you might want to take a look at the National Association of Scholars and the Intercollegiate Studies Institute, to name but two groups. Some fields are worse than others (social work may be the worse) but you can make it academia if you are good at what you do. There are support groups like the above, outlets for writing and publishing and in some instances, real support for intellectual diversity which means religious and conservative thinkers. While I agree that secular humanism is very common, the real situation is not as bad as the polemicists make it out to be. By the way, I think Francis de Sales is wrong about his understanding of friendship but I don’t want to hijack this thread.

isi.org/

nas.org/
 
SeekerJen said:
Why would you NOT continue in academia? I’m pursuing a PhD in a biomedical science right now. I enjoy shattering my atheist advisor’s prejudices against Christians. Academia needs us to provide balance.
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I could see the opportunities in biology, but physics, with perhaps the exception of cosmology, does not seem to offer any evangelization opportunities. I suppose if the discoveries I made were so amazing or “godly,” then some might say that I could not have made that particular discovery without the Holy Spirit?
 
PoliSciProf said:
By the way, I think Francis de Sales is wrong about his understanding of friendship but I don’t want to hijack this thread.
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Well, one does not have to treat colleagues as friends but simply as colleagues.

Thanks for the info
 
SeekerJen said:
Why would you NOT continue in academia? I’m pursuing a PhD in a biomedical science right now. I enjoy shattering my atheist advisor’s prejudices against Christians. Academia needs us to provide balance.
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I agree.
But in the end, setting a good example of a moral and balanced life is the most effective argument.
 
barryschoedel said:
Amazingly enough in academia there tend to be more conservatives in the hard sciences than in the humanities so your experience is somewhat rare but not altogether. .
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I’m an engineer, and all the engineering professors I had were pretty much die hard conservatives. And most engineers that I encounter are the same.
 
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