Why Higher Education Is Correlated with Liberalism
Hint: it’s not about indoctrination
It’s no secret that higher education is correlated with liberalism. Research and polling data confirm this time and time again. This has led conservatives to view higher education as indoctrination. They see universities as traitorous dens of communist professors brainwashing students into accepting their radical ideologies.
Conservatives are wrong. Higher education is about context and critical thinking, not indoctrination. The more you learn, the more you’re forced to confront your childhood worldview and create your own as a free-thinking adult. This ought to be a virtue, not a vice.
So, why do so many educated adults lean toward liberalism? What happens during the college/university experience that influences so many? Here are a few thoughts:
You meet different kinds of people
Higher education takes you out of the bubble in which you grew up. It exposes you to people of different races, religions, sexual orientations, etc., that you wouldn’t have been likely to meet otherwise. You encounter what’s foreign to you.
In short, the abstract becomes concrete. You can put faces and names to otherness. It’s no longer “the Jews,” it’s your friends Ruth and Samuel. It’s not “the gays,” it’s your neighbors, Shannon and Claire. You might even make a trans friend and learn that using the bathroom is a human necessity, not a sexual perversion.
Instead of vague, alien categories of people, you’ll now think about individuals. Faceless concepts are humanized. That changes everything.
You confront the limits of your knowledge
The Dunning-Kruger effect describes a cognitive bias in which people with limited knowledge in a field overestimate their expertise. It’s also known as “sophomore syndrome.” Basically, you don’t realize your knowledge of a topic is limited because you aren’t aware of everything you don’t know. As such, you feel competent and confident, even though you lack the education and experience required to understand that topic’s context, nuances, and criticisms.
Think about studying a mountain. In high school, you learn about the peak, and in college, you research the mountain in its entirety. In graduate school, though, you learn that the mountain is part of a range that also contains valleys that shape the overall landscape. You realize that your knowledge of a particular mountain is a drop in the bucket.
Take communism, for example. The very concept is anathema to US conservatives. They use it to fearmonger all the time. However, I’ve only ever met one conservative who could actually explain what communism is, how it works, and how it’s distinct from socialism or social policies. The rest just regurgitate the mindless crap they’ve been fed their entire lives.
Now, I’m not a fan of communism, but it’s worth studying because its critiques of capitalism are important. In high school, you learn that the Soviet Union, China, and Cuba were/are communist. They’re not fully, but you glaze over that, because you don’t learn the philosophy itself. It’s not until college that you learn that communism is actually about workers’ rights.
This matters because conservatives love to vilify liberals. A high school understanding of communism would make one think that anyone advocating for any aspect of it is a moron who actually wants poverty and breadlines. But, with just a little research and reflection, you’ll learn that the vast majority of liberals don’t want communism; they just want to end worker exploitation and obscene wealth disparity. They’re not the enemy; they’re actually trying to help.
You learn what a good argument looks like
The Dunning-Kruger effect is so strong because it allows people to confirm whatever beliefs they want. Attracted to an idea? Well, now with the internet, you can find as much supporting information as you can handle. You’ll never have to feel ignorant or wrong again.
The problem is that the corroborating arguments you’re looking at might be bad-faith garbage. There are now a ton of “experts” out there, so be skeptical. Everyone has an agenda, so stay vigilant and remain critical. Research and think through what you’re being told before assenting. Avoid anyone who relies on insults and “sick burns” instead of actual dialogue. They care more about being right than they do the topic itself.
Even though it’s uncomfortable, approach opposing arguments with an open mind. Accept that almost everything is more complicated than it seems at first, and develop the confidence to admit your ignorance. Allow yourself to actually learn, and make peace with the fact that you’re a dynamic being. You’re allowed to change your mind given new information. That’s actually a good thing.
Better arguments create better dialogue. That’s how progress is actually made. Otherwise, we just insult and lob idiotic rubbish at each other, and that gets us nowhere. All that division does is benefit those seeking control.
You confront your faith
This one is funny to me because it was my faith that made me liberal, not my education. I grew up Catholic, and my church emphasized Jesus as the God of compassion, love, and forgiveness. I absorbed the messages of “love thy neighbor as thyself” and “treat others as you’d want to be treated.” Newsflash: that’s liberalism.
A lot of religions actually do rely on indoctrination. They punish evaluation and dissent. They grab followers when they’re young, fill their heads with fantastic stories, then tell them they’re sinners if they ask questions. It’s a mind-fudge of epic proportions. God gave you an intellect, but if you use it, you go to hell.
An untested faith is a flimsy faith. When you’ve been actively discouraged from using your mind, and you’ve been brainwashed into thinking that questioning anything is a sin, your only option to defend your faith is to repeat what you’ve been told. This always fails, because you’ll never convince anyone of anything you don’t fully understand yourself.
Good religions encourage education. They embrace scrutiny. They view higher education as an opportunity to strengthen faith. College/university is where you can learn more about your religion, so that you can better understand what you believe and why.
Education and religion shouldn’t be enemies. If you really want to evangelize someone, you can’t just tell them they’re wrong because you think so. Imposing your beliefs only causes resentment. You have to actually engage with the other. This requires understanding your faith and its possible objections.
You confront your political beliefs
I used to TA for Intro to Philosophy classes, and I saw this in action. We were studying political philosophy, and a first-year student boldly claimed that minimum wage was sufficient, and that poor people were simply lazy, free-loading complainers.
It was obvious that the student was parroting his parents’ beliefs, but, rather than tell him he was wrong, the professor listened. He nodded his head then said, “ok, let’s do the math.” He then proceeded to break down the budget for a family of a single, minimum-wage-earning parent with two kids. After a few minutes, it became obvious that the reality is grim. Even on a tight budget, the parent would need to work at least two jobs.
Of course, the student doubled down. We tend to do that when our ignorance is pointed out in public. In the face of math, which is as objective as it gets, he clung to his beliefs, and he still tried to convince the class that poor people were lazy. It got embarrassing.
We don’t like to question our beliefs. It makes us doubt ourselves and those who’ve taught us throughout our lives. That’s why so many take pushback as a personal insult. However, like with religion, higher education should be the opportunity for you to develop a deeper understanding of your political beliefs. Keep an open mind and learn. Incorporate new information instead of dismissing it.
As a final thought here, remember that correlation isn’t causation. Higher education doesn’t automatically create liberalism. Plenty of people go through university maintaining their conservative perspective and values. If they do school right, though, they can actually defend their ideas with sound, valid arguments, instead of relying on emotions and nonsense. Once again, it’s about critical thinking.
You confront your humanity
Liberal arts schools require students to take a few Humanities courses, and a lot of people dismiss that as a frivolous waste of time. I have an MA in Philosophy, and several people have laughed in my face about it. That’s never bothered me, though. To the contrary, it usually makes me feel pity. I find the shortsightedness disappointing and sad.
The Humanities may not prepare you for a specific job, but they do prepare you for life in general. You learn about the human condition. You learn that we’re not all so different. We all experience happiness, sadness, love, hate, grief, regret, and so on. We all revel in our successes and despair in our failures. We all feel acceptance and rejection. We all suffer, and we all must face our mortality. These experiences aren’t financial, but they are inevitable.
The Humanities are all about considering different perspectives. They’re about understanding the human condition and developing the ability to imagine yourself in another’s place. You make connections across cultures and time, and, in doing so, you learn about yourself and your own world. You confront your assumptions and judgments, and you begin to appreciate context. You learn to relate to others.
The study of humanity isn’t indoctrination, but I do admit I’ve found the correlation between the Humanities and liberalism to be quite strong. Every Humanities grad I know is at least socially liberal. All that stuff above about different perspectives? That fosters compassion. It’s rather difficult to avoid.
Conclusion
Higher education creates a deeper understanding of nuance and context that allows you to more capably develop and defend your own beliefs. It doesn’t brainwash you or make you stupid. Instead, it forces you to confront yourself and your assumptions. Nothing about that is inherently liberal.
Good educators seek objectivity as much as possible, and a good education will help you develop the ability to think for yourself instead of simply accepting what you’re being told. Regardless of your political inclinations, the ability to critique information presents a direct threat to those seeking control. Free-thinkers rarely fall in line.
So, if you view education as dangerous, pause and take stock. Something is seriously off. Anyone trying to convince you that learning is evil is actually just scared they’ll lose their authority over you. It’s easy to manipulate the ignorant, angry, and afraid. Your intellect is a gift, so don’t let others convince you it’s a curse. Whether you’re liberal or conservative, you should never be afraid to develop your mind.
