[Vision2020] Re: NSA student scores, Mr. Gier

Fri, 14 May 2004 19:00:33 EDT

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Eric et. al.

You make some valid points about the ultimate value of professional 
credentials, or the lack thereof.  Some of the most brilliant and successful people are 
not professionally credentialed, and some credentialed professionals are so 
mediocre one wonders how they got their degree.  On the other hand, standards 
of accreditation for doctors, for example, hopefully prevent snake oil salesman 
from pushing opiates on the street corner as miracle cures.  And for 
educators and colleges, the prevention of intellectual snake oil is ostensibly one 
goal of professional standards.

Even if the entire NSA student body and faculty scores in the top 1% for all 
intellectual skills, this does not automatically mean NSA is providing a 
balanced and well rounded education.  Some of the most prejudiced and cruel people 
in the world have high IQs and superb academic capabilities, yet they promote 
the hatred and persecution of one group or another for emotional or 
ideological reasons, being dogmatically closed minded to challenges to their 
convictions, no matter how factually and logically based.  Often logic and fact used to 
justify prejudice or bigotry can be twisted even more convincingly by the well 
educated and intelligent into what seems a reasonable ideology.

When I find evidence that some NSA students are showing independence of 
thought enough to challenge the prevailing thinking at NSA regarding women's or gay 
rights, to pick two salient issues, I will acknowledge the education being 
promoted there is worthy of the term "higher education."  In the meantime, I 
don''t care how high the test scores are or how many doctorates pad down the 
halls.  Open minded inquiry where all arguments and viewpoints well presented 
receive a fair hearing is not necessarily dependent on test scores or IQs or PhDs.

Are there any NSA students receiving academic awards for well reasoned 
arguments promoting gay rights or feminism, even from a Christian Biblical 
orientation?  Such arguments do exist in the world of Christian scholarship.

Evidence of this would perhaps persuade me to regard NSA as more than an 
institution of high brow religious propaganda.

Are the students filtered out before they are accepted into NSA to assure a 
certain conformity of viewpoint?  And does not this limitation of diversity (oh 
dear, not that word again!) impact the capability for NSA to provide an 
education about the whole world as people really live it, Christian and Jew, Muslim 
and Hindu, Buddhist, atheist and agnostic?

Prove me wrong!

Ted Moffett

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<HTML><HTML> 
Eric et. al. 
 
You make some valid points about the ultimate value of professional credenti=
als, or the lack thereof.&nbsp; Some of the most brilliant and successful pe=
ople are not professionally credentialed, and some credentialed professional=
s are so mediocre one wonders how they got their degree.&nbsp; On the other=20=
hand, standards of accreditation for doctors, for example, hopefully prevent=
 snake oil salesman from pushing opiates on the street corner as miracle cur=
es.&nbsp; And for educators and colleges, the prevention of intellectual sna=
ke oil is ostensibly one goal of professional standards. 
 
Even if the entire NSA student body and faculty scores in the top 1% for all=
 intellectual skills, this does not automatically mean NSA is providing a ba=
lanced and well rounded education.&nbsp; Some of the most prejudiced and cru=
el people in the world have high IQs and superb academic capabilities, yet t=
hey promote the hatred and persecution of one group or another for emotional=
 or ideological reasons, being dogmatically closed minded to challenges to t=
heir convictions, no matter how factually and logically based.&nbsp; Often l=
ogic and fact used to justify prejudice or bigotry can be twisted even more=20=
convincingly by the well educated and intelligent into what seems a reasonab=
le ideology. 
 
When I find evidence that some NSA students are showing independence of thou=
ght enough to challenge the prevailing thinking at NSA regarding women's or=20=
gay rights, to pick two salient issues, I will acknowledge the education bei=
ng promoted there is worthy of the term "higher education."&nbsp; In the mea=
ntime, I don''t care how high the test scores are or how many doctorates pad=
 down the halls.&nbsp; Open minded inquiry where all arguments and viewpoint=
s well presented receive a fair hearing is not necessarily dependent on test=
 scores or IQs or PhDs. 
 
Are there any NSA students receiving academic awards for well reasoned argum=
ents promoting gay rights or feminism, even from a Christian Biblical orient=
ation?&nbsp; Such arguments do exist in the world of Christian scholarship.<=
BR>
 
Evidence of this would perhaps persuade me to regard NSA as more than an ins=
titution of high brow religious propaganda. 
 
Are the students filtered out before they are accepted into NSA to assure a=20=
certain conformity of viewpoint?&nbsp; And does not this limitation of diver=
sity (oh dear, not that word again!) impact the capability for NSA to provid=
e an education about the whole world as people really live it, Christian and=
 Jew, Muslim and Hindu, Buddhist, atheist and agnostic? 
 
Prove me wrong! 
 
Ted Moffett</HTML>

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