Dr. Sanity has excerpted an article by James Pierson concerning the changes in thinking within the ivory towered world of the university intellectual over the past century. Both Pierson and Santy have nailed it accurately. It briefly outlines the transformations of classic liberals as they have evolved into moonbats and paints a picture of entropy-powered intellectual de-evolution; the Poison Ivy League.

(Pierson)“In many important ways, the left university reversed or modified the assumptions and practices of the liberal university. The architects of the liberal university were optimistic about the prospects for the nation, and looked ahead to the progressive advancement of democracy and liberty, but the leaders of the left university are dour and pessimistic and view our history as a tale of oppression. The liberal academics believed in progress through the application of reason and knowledge, but the academic left asserted that reason and knowledge were masks for corporate or conservative interests. Yet, while the old liberals carved out a role in politics for experts and expert knowledge, the left disdained expertise and embraced the doctrine of diversity, which is based on the naked assertion of group interests. The liberals believed in academic freedom for all, but the academic leftists support academic freedom only for themselves, not for conservative or moderate faculty, not for speakers who disagree with them, and not for students who wish to learn from a nonideological standpoint. The liberals of a century ago took over the university with an intellectual vision grounded in 19th-century philosophy, while the radicals of our time seized control through politics and political pressure by organizing demonstrations and protests and by shrewdly leveraging assistance from governmental regulatory bodies.”

Dr. Santy adds: "This is one of the best articles I have read that evaluates the factors in the last 60 years or so that have transformed the intellectual pursuits of academic centers in this country into centers of politically correctness and oppression of free thought."

"As Pierson correctly notes, events have transpired in the world of reality that these so-called "intellectuals" have not been able to accept or even understand. In their minds, the collapse of the Soviet Union and communism was an unforseen disaster that they still are unable to comprehend or accept. The failure of socialism and the welfare state and the continued erosion of life in those nations that embrace it; as well as the rise and resilience of the U.S. and the market economy to world-wide dominance was not predicted by their ideologies (remember "we will bury you"?). That the policies of George W. Bush should unleash a storm of freedom and democracy across the world is the final insult to their intellectual aspirations, and has unleashed their rage as well as their intense anxiety and fear."

She goes on to point out, "This is not to say that there is, or should be, a movement to create a "university of the Right" -- that is not the goal of expunging the Left's pervasive and destructive influence; nor would it be a good thing. The cure for the sickness brought into academia by the Left is simply a return to the ideals of pursuing truth and knowledge--which is not held captive by either the "Left" or "Right" -- and a commitment to the only kind of diversity that matters--the diversity of ideas and thought."

She is absolutely right, but her requirement will find its difficulty in another 'evolution' that has also occurred during the past century. During this same period of time, our culture has 'outgrown' its Christian roots, with its stated ideal of serving others for God's glory, into a modernist/post-modernist amalgam of self-deifying individuals, with elastic ideals to serve with any means deemed necessary. Power is the god of the day and it has no greater preference for either left or right politics. Its adherents on the right will serve it in a similar way to those on the left, running over any boundaries suggested by those of Dr. Santy's ilk. There exists in Washington, D.C. a treasure trove of power and the battle to wield it will be fierce.

Had this environment existed after the American Revolution, George Washington would have served 7 terms and bequeathed the divine right of power so that we might have a President George Washington IX today. Fortunately, it didn't exist then, but in our evolution over the past century we have outgrown the reason for Washington's piety, integrity, and humility.