Luke Holzmann over at the Sonlight blog wrote about the Marketplace of Ideas today.
I think he is exactly right when he said, “Shocked, I realized that was my experience as well. The ‘marketplace of ideas’ is oddly empty.”
This is something Kelly and I have spoken about at length. How to participate in the “public discourse” is an interesting question for us. We are big fans of people like Marvin Olasky and the rest of the crew at World Magazine, David Berlinski, the “public intellectual” who lives in France and seems to be much smarter than almost everone else, Rodney Stark the emminent sociologist and author from Baylor University, and other people of their ilk. They have obviously worked hard to learn what they know and have honed their knowledge by engaging in discourse with those who have knowledge of their areas of interest. It seems to us that those types of people are few and far between. It does not appear that there are very many people who have the time, energy, and especially the will to participate in the Marketplace of Ideas. We do not think we are particularly well equipped or gifted to do so ourselves, but it certainly interests us and we try to make some level of investment in that.
Luke points to a blog post here that addresses a part of one of the questions with which, we are confronted daily. How does one go about preparing ones children to participate in the Marketplace of Ideas? It is a hard question to which I have no satisfying answer.
*Special note: This article on who should have a voice in the public square appeared at Evolutions News and Views shortly after this article was posted. It has something quite important to say by Michael Egnor. He is another of those to whom we pay a lot of attention because of their stellar record of participation in the Marketplace of Ideas. It comes from the Discovery Institute‘s Evolution News & Views blog. We read it every day and highly recommend it.
So far this morning, I’ve visited three different but linked blogs discussing this topic. It would appear that a market place of ideas does, in fact, exist.
The problem, in my opinion, is that we have the expectation of truly intellectual dialog within academia. Perhaps, this expectation is just no longer valid? Wisdom is where you find it and so is intellectual dialog.
On a related note … I reject the premise that homeschooling is a protest movement. The act of leaving a public school system may be an act of protest. However, homeschooling is the answer to the problem, not the act of rebellion.
Three weeks ago we went to the Midwest Homeschool Convention in Cincinnati. I will admit I expected to find a fairly radical crowd. Boy, was I surprised! Not once, did I find a booth or a person promoting some anti-government school issue. What I found instead was a people who were making a better way. It imagined I had found the same convictions which led our forefathers to rid themselves of the old oppressive European institutions to come to America.
When our forefathers came to America, the act of leaving their native lands was often an act of protest. But, once they arrived in American and began the long hard work of building homes, communities and a nation, the old oppression was soon forgotten.
I am on exactly the same page as you on this Eric. I had a discussion with an older gentleman last night who thinks we are doing great with our kids, but is still pretty uncomfortable with the idea. Previously, this person seemed to be pretty skeptical about how well equipped parents might be to homeschool their children. Now, after he has seen the success, his worry is that it might cause a lot of false pride.
He, like many with whom we speak, think that we are doing this in rebellion against the government schools. We were really not doing it in rebellion against the government schools, but in self defense after our local government school abused/neglected their mandate. Our choice to homeschool had nothing to do with traditional school good or bad. We were motivated by a desire to raise up our children in the way they should go.
Now, we understand pride is an issue that we actively try to address (something that seems to be sorely lacking in traditional school settings–“be true to your school”, “Tiger pride”, and all that). The frustration is that so many of the government school advocates are so narcissistic they think that what we homeschoolers are doing for our children is about them.
Ken, thanks for sharing your take on this too. I’m all for setting up more booths in this marketplace [laughing]. And, yes, I wish I had more answers too.
Eric, I agree that there are many people who engage in ideas and are setting up booths to get people into the marketplace. But, despite many small, self-contained groups of thinkers–many of whom only “preach to the choir” and rarely interact with the other side–I don’t see a thriving marketplace. But I do sense that there is a desire/need for one. You may be onto something: I may just be looking in the wrong place; namely, academia. Great point!
~Luke
Pride can be an issue with anything. Ken, it sounds to me like you were speaking of someone who might have been engaged in a little bit of projection. Too bad for him. IMHO, you apologize too much for your good ideas. I’m quite proud of my school and team. 🙂 It is too bad that I have become the goofy mascot.
Luke brings up a legitimate point about interacting with the other side. I don’t think it is always possible to convince the other side to change. We might create an external stimulus that causes them to change, but we will never convince an institution as large as our public education system that they need to change by merely showing them the error of their ways.
What I have observed in life is that change usually begins at the fringe and moves inward. Never, have I seen it the other way. For instance, the health food movement began as sort of counter culture hippy thing back in the ’70’s and ’80’s. Now, you can’t pick up an single item at the grocery store but what the health benefits (whatever large or small they may be) are touted as a good thing. What started as a fringe movement is now embraced by the mainstream.
Another example of such a movement is the organic farming movement. I live in the Midwest where agribusiness has a stranglehold on all things agricultural. However, I am seeing a few brave souls working out on the fringes developing real solutions. Sure they are troubled by what they see, but their daily hard labor is not protest, it is the quiet demonstration of their heart felt convictions.
All through history it was never the institutions that initiated change. Institutions change in response to external stimuli. The external stimuli can come from many sources. Sometimes the source is an individual, or a group of individuals (a community) who decide the status quo is unnacceptable and have the strength of conviction to change themselves first and then ask the institution to follow their example.
I am not a radical individualist. However, I very much believe in the power of the individual. So much so, that I believe one good person with conviction has more power and influence over others he or she encounters in life than a thousand conformists who seek to perfect the status quo.
From a purely historical context (that is, not a spiritual context), there are many examples. Christ, Ghandi, Bhudda, Confucius, Mohammad were not the heads of established institutions … they were individuals with ideas and very strong convictions who practiced their beliefs and in doing so they demonstrated to others the value of their belief system.
They were individuals leading by example. In the old days we called this leadership. Whether you like it or not, you are leaders in a movement. And, you are good men for the job. We are all blessed that it is good people who are leading this movement, rather than extremists or the violent. The other side would love to place our leaders on the defensive, when IMHO you ought to focus on the solution you have to offer and embrace your role in which you find yourself.
Incidentally, this is probably largest movement in history where women (namely stay-at-home mothers) have demonstrated the greatest leadership. Don’t expect the feminists to acknowledge this fact. And, don’t expect to see it acknowledge in the MSM any time soon, either.
Luke, I think it is difficult to preach to anyone but the choir. Mostly you are shouted down and insulted by anyone that doesn’t already agree with you. I’m not sure whether the internet really helps or hinders in this.
Dana, I am pretty much in agreement with what you said about preaching to the choir. I gets it comes with the territory of being a member of a still very small movement–few are willing to take the time to figure out what we believe or why we believe it, let alone accepting it. It makes me want to listen to people better.
Eric – The point on the leadership of people like Christ, Ghandi, etc. leading by example is a great take-away point. Even though the ability to talk to people about ideas is gratifying, the example thing is easily more effective. This thing of being a non-conformist is just not that comfortable.
People shouting and insulting one another in the internet!?! What? That *never* happens [laughing].
That’s a good point. Bah! This communication thing is hard. And I still like it… [smile]
~Luke