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Saying “No” to Wasting Precious, God-given Time
There’s a little-covered kerfuffle happening over at Duke University’s Divinity School. Rod Dreher, over at his blog on the American Conservative, is performing his usual insightful and careful coverage of the matter. Faculty member Paul Griffiths had enough of the usual diversity drivel that is the mainstay at academic, and, for that matter, most commercial institutions.
It started when fellow faculty member Portier-Young circulated a boiler-plate memo to the Divinity faculty, urging their participation in a “Racial Equity Institute Phase I Training” session. Professor Griffiths, politely, but firmly, urged his fellow faculty; “I exhort you not to attend this training. Don’t lay waste your time by doing so. It’ll be, I predict with confidence, intellectually flaccid: there’ll be bromides, clichés, and amen-corner rah-rahs in plenty.”
Amen, professor, amen.
Of course, it didn’t end there. Where it goes is simply astounding. I encourage you to read the three substantial blog posts (1) (2) (3) on this issue.
I honor Professor Griffiths for his bravery and faith, as he has resigned from Duke due to this, which is too bad.
Published in Religion & Philosophy
Started reading David Mamet’s new book, The Secret Knowledge, today and came across this quote:
“College, once a predictable, practicable course of study designed to fit the individual for self-support, has become, at least in the Liberal Arts, an extension of the bad high school, which is to say, of the terror of adolescence.”
It wasn’t so bad, when they still had ashtrays.