I’ve been seeing this blogged many places, but it’s just too good not to post it here, too. Aaron Swartz, in response to David Horowitz and others of his idiotic ilk, has discovered a true measure of the need for intellectual diversity at Stanford (and by extension, the rest of academia).
only 1% of Stanford professors believe in telepathy (defined as “communication between minds without using the traditional five sensesâ€), compared with 36% of the general population. And less than half a percent believe “people on this earth are sometimes possessed by the devilâ€, compared with 49% of those outside the ivory tower. And while 25% of Americans believe in astrology (“the position of the stars and planets can affect people’s livesâ€), I could only find one Stanford professor who would agree.
Our students are clearly being denied exposure to the full range of perspectives. This disparity must be addressed! 😯