Am I the radical or is my professor?

[Joshua Parrish]

I am a Health Science major but I had some electives so I decided to take a Political Theory class. Today in that class, my professor told us that John Locke was a fool and that property rights are not natural rights. He said that property rights are granted by the state!!! He then began to argue the virtues of the state using force to redistribute wealth. The worst part is that the class overwhelming supported his view!!!

I was the only student in the class with a dissenting opinion! Am I the radical or is he?

 

[low preference guy]

I am a Health Science major but I had some electives so I decided to to a Political Theory class. Today in that class, my professor told us that John Locke was a fool and that property rights are not natural rights. He said that property rights are granted by the state!!! He then began to argue the virtues of the state using force to redistribute wealth. The worst part is that the class overwhelming supported his view!!!

I was the only student in the class with a dissenting opinion! Am I the radical or is he?

he is a savage whose ideas will destroy civilization, if they are implemented.

also, the job of the professor is to stimulate students to think, not to give them his opinions. if you told him that he wasn't doing his job and was wasting your time, you wouldn't have been out of line. you can write that in your evaluation forms at the end of the semester if you don't want to say it now.

if i were you, i would drop the class, because i wouldn't learn anything. but i guess you could stay if you want to understand the mindset of the enemy.

 

[emazur]

If property rights aren't natural rights, just what the hell is natural about a government that arbitrarily gives and takes people's wealth?

 

[Epic]

The government cannot give "rights" - that's a semantic contradiction. The correct word, in that case, would be "privilege".

 

[ItsTime]

The take his laptop. He should be fine with that. He is richer than you and after all its not his right to own it. /sarcasm.

 

[Deborah K]

I am a Health Science major but I had some electives so I decided to to a Political Theory class. Today in that class, my professor told us that John Locke was a fool and that property rights are not natural rights. He said that property rights are granted by the state!!! He then began to argue the virtues of the state using force to redistribute wealth. The worst part is that the class overwhelming supported his view!!!

I was the only student in the class with a dissenting opinion! Am I the radical or is he?

He is a victim of a collectivist mindset, and so is the class.

 

[Imperial]

I am a Health Science major but I had some electives so I decided to to a Political Theory class. Today in that class, my professor told us that John Locke was a fool and that property rights are not natural rights. He said that property rights are granted by the state!!! He then began to argue the virtues of the state using force to redistribute wealth. The worst part is that the class overwhelming supported his view!!!

I was the only student in the class with a dissenting opinion! Am I the radical or is he?

I wouldn't worry about it. You will always find a few who are skeptical of government force. One route to keep note of- we all have exceptions to our view of the world. I believe in negative liberties but think it would be bad to allow private ownership of nuclear weapons, for example. Find it in your classmates- somewhere they think government coercion is negative, like marijuana or Iraq.

By the way, my current political theory class is an in-depth study of the Frankfurt School, which leaned quite Marxist. He is a founding member of a pretty radical journal called Telos.

That said, it doesn't mean those with opposing viewpoints cannot teach you something. At the very least it helps to understand your opponent's perspective and to account for their criticisms.

 

[MikeStanart]

In the middle of class tell him he's a joke and drop the class.

 

[ItsTime]

In the middle of class tell him he's a joke and drop the class.

Should he do this before or after he takes the professors laptop?

 

[oyarde]

Dude is a pure commie .

 

[zade]

I don't believe there's anything naturally self-confirming about property claims either.

 

[McBell]

You say radical like it's a bad thing.

 

[MikeStanart]

Should he do this before or after he takes the professors laptop?

Instead he should say: "Professor, I was going to steal your laptop to "spread the wealth" but it looks like you're in luck because I'm a firm believer of property rights".

 

[sailingaway]

he is a savage whose ideas will destroy civilization, if they are implemented.

also, the job of the professor is to stimulate students to think, not to give them his opinions. if you told him that he wasn't doing his job and was wasting your time, you wouldn't have been out of line. you can write that in your evaluation forms at the end of the semester if you don't want to say it now.

if i were you, i would drop the class, because i wouldn't learn anything. but i guess you could stay if you want to understand the mindset of the enemy.

Good luck with that. Did you read the recent study that college students lack critical thinking skills? They are taught on emotion and the conviction of the professor. Dissect it in your mind, parrot it back, get the A, then go forth and take over the world.

Living well is the best revenge.

 

[ItsTime]

Instead he should say: "Professor, I was going to steal your laptop to "spread the wealth" but it looks like you're in luck because I'm a firm believer of property rights".

Good one

 

[low preference guy]

I don't believe there's anything naturally self-confirming about property claims either.

from an ethical perspective, i think there is. stealing is immoral.

saying that you have a right to your property just means that no one can take your property or prevent you from using it without violating an ethical rule.

about whether this is "natural"... well, humans have a natural ability to reason, but to use that faculty to live well, they need to be able to acquire property and use it freely. so from that point of view property rights are natural.

 

[low preference guy]

Instead he should say: "Professor, I was going to steal your laptop to "spread the wealth" but it looks like you're in luck because I'm a firm believer of property rights".

thread winner!

 

[LedHed]

Professors sometime deliberatively argue a point to inspire their students to think for themselves and question established point of view or philosophy. However, be prepared to argue your position with logic, not mere feelings. It appears that perhaps you might be the only one in the class who is getting the point - whether you yourself know this or not. Were you called a "troll" for not going along with the crowd?

 

[mczerone]

he is a savage whose ideas will destroy civilization, if they are implemented.

also, the job of the professor is to stimulate students to think, not to give them his opinions. if you told him that he wasn't doing his job and was wasting your time, you wouldn't have been out of line.

They're not his opinions. They are the "leading theories of political theory". The same shit is in economics classes and law lectures. Even if the professor disagrees, he or she must teach "this is why we need government".

 

[low preference guy]

Professors sometime deliberatively argue a point to inspire their students to think for themselves and question established point of view or philosophy.

have you taken a class at a college recently? the likelihood that this professor was trying to inspire students to think for themselves is close to zero.