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freedom and intellectual diversity, it poses a logical problem for the
transformationist position. What is the point of all the talk about rela–
tivism and group interests if it turns out to be perfectly possible to iden–
tifY the correct political views regardless of one's race, class, and gender?
There is an implicit universalism here that the postmodernist is supposed
to reject.
Steps B,
9,
to,
and
12:
Politics, Empowermellt, Incillsioll, and
(Re)lIision.
Consistent or not, there is an implicit universalism at the heart
of the transformationist view as it plays out on American campuses. All
the talk of hegemony and domination, inclusion and empowerment, rests
on strong normative commitments, a belief in radical egalitarianism and
the transformation of people into "better people." Given these strong
normative commitments, one might expect to see more discussion of the
rich literature on such normative political topics as the different meanings
of equality, the ways in which strong values such as freedom and equality
can conflict, the epistemological grounding of rights and goods , and so
forth. While postmodernists pride themselves on the sophistication of
their critical analyses, their normative claims seem to be based on little
more than a passion for equality, an anger at what they see as oppression,
the shock at "the political horrors of one's time" and the feeling of be–
ing "alienated and dispossessed" reported by Lentricchia.
When questions about the proper conception of freedom or equality
are raised, they are often recast as questions of strategy. What conception
of freedom empowers women? What conception of equality undermines
capitalism? These discussions do not answer the kinds of objections out–
siders would raise, and presumably are not meant to do so. Individuals
who see themselves primarily as members of oppressed groups, and who
believe that distinctive insights and perhaps even an exclusive truth follow
from that membership, do not necessarily feel the need to answer the
objections of outsiders. History is, alas, littered with the remains of
groups - some of which have done much harm - that felt no need to
justifY their beliefs and actions to others. Such an attitude closes rather
than opens discussion, protects rather than inhibits irrationality, and en–
courages the pursuit of power rather than the pursuit of mutual under–
standing. Epistemologically, no one group has sufficient grounds
to
claim
a privileged status for its beliefs. Institutionally, higher education cannot
perform its function - to expand human understanding - if it surrenders
to such claims.
Steps
13
throllgh
17:
Political Standards and Critical Pedagogy.
The mis–
sion of a university dedicated to the pursuit of truth is to teach students
the modes and methods of inquiry, the major alternative views in each
field, and ways to articulate and assess arguments on each side. The uni-
