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From: bzs@bu-cs.BU.EDU (Barry Shein)
Newsgroups: soc.college,talk.rumors
Subject: Re: Accuracy in Academia
Message-ID: <1714@bu-cs.bu-cs.BU.EDU>
Date: Sun, 5-Oct-86 19:24:45 EDT
Article-I.D.: bu-cs.1714
Posted: Sun Oct  5 19:24:45 1986
Date-Received: Wed, 8-Oct-86 22:30:41 EDT
Organization: Boston U. Comp. Sci.
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Xref: watmath soc.college:52 talk.rumors:76


There is an amusing story I once heard about John Reed that seems to
somehow fit into this discussion.

John Reed was an American journalist and social reformer who went to
Russia around 1917 to fight for the Revolution. He is the character
played by Warren Beatty in his movie "Reds". John Reed is the only
American who is buried in the Kremlin (and, I believe, the only
American ever awarded some very high honor or another from the USSR.)

The story is that while John Reed was at Harvard he was taking a course
which covered Marxism. Apparently the professor spent the first semester
arguing the side of Marxism. Reed, according to memoirs of his classmates,
became enamored with the professor's arguments and Marxism in general.
He left Harvard and proceeded on the path which led him to Lenin's side.

Apparently, the professor then (as always) spent the second term
arguing against Marxism, supposedly as convincingly as he had argued
the first term for Marxism (which was the professor's actual intent,
to first present Marxism's arguments as convincingly and fairly as
possible, and then criticize them.)

Of course, Reed never stayed for the second half of the course.

I fear that today's John Reeds might make a similar mistake and have
such a professor thrown off campus before the second semester. Of course,
instead of just one student losing, the entire community would lose.

Even if it's not the same professor who makes the counter-arguments to
what you don't believe in, but have had to study, be careful about
silencing or refusing to listen to those whom you believe you do not
agree with. Things may not be what they appear to be. Many professor's
are wiser than you give them credit for.

	-Barry Shein, Boston University