Conceding the moral vacuum

Three months ago, we devoted this space to an appeal to "Sack the flaks" who do not know, much less understand, the morality of capitalism, and who are therefore quite ineffective against all brands of demagogues exploiting the yearning for morality by the young.

This month, we give space to Dr John Howard, President of Rockford Institute, who at a recent international conference on the future of nuclear power in Germany made a similar point more profoundly.(*) We extract from his speech:

"We have two generations of Americans who are unfamiliar with the ideals, the principles and the traditions of their own society. This is the result of the radical change in the priorities of the schools and colleges which for a century and a half had placed moral and ethical training as the most important consideration in the process of schooling. After World War II, a new educational philosophy became dominant which insists that the nature of a free society forecloses the teaching of any specific set of ideals and values, that all points of view must be welcome.

Although this concept has a certain persuasiveness, it has the disadvantage of disregarding human nature. The human psyche cannot withstand a moral vacuum. Every person needs to believe that some things are worthy of his labors and sacrifices. In a marginal economy, the rigors of obtaining the necessities of life fulfill much of this need. In a prosperous economy, if nothing is perceived to be good or right, then no direction is forward, and there can be no sense of accomplishment and no basis for developing self-esteem. A meaningless life is particularly burdensome to the bright and sensitive young person. The determined moral neutrality of today's campuses makes the student vulnerable to any persuasive leader who says, 'I have found the road to glory. Follow me.'

It is, I believe, because of this vacuum of ideals that a surprising proportion of seemingly intelligent youngsters are variously attracted to ... a great variety of activist causes, among which antinuclear activism now occupies a center stage.

There is a second aspect of this change in educational philosophy... The requirement that data be documented, the conviction that reason rather than emotion should be brought to bear in the resolution of issues ... were all rapid casualties of the student rebellion. When the leadership of the universities did not act to sustain these conventions of discourse, they opened a Pandora's Box, releasing a plague of irresponsible techniques throughout the forums of society. There was a rapid proliferation of confrontational politics, advocacy journalism, and coercive pressure groups operating on the assumption that the end justifies the means, so that exaggerations, distortions, the manipulation of facts, the suppression of pertinent data, and outright lies have now become commonplace. Even terrorism, the ultimate form of dishonest persuasion, is surfacing here and there. The new standard procedure for pressing a cause is not to adduce facts and apply superior logic, but to stir up public passions against the opposition...

The colleges and universities could not handle a similar onslaught when it came at them, and it will take decades to repair that damage.

Will the nuclear industry be wise enough to profit from that tragic example?"

* The full text of Dr Howard's speech Antinuclear activism in the US is available free to AtE readers from Rockford Institute, 934 N. Main St., Rockford, IL, 61103; the masterful monthly Persuasion at Work at $8/year is available from the same address.