Blogger Daniel Drezner failed to obtain tenure at the University of Chicago:
http://www.danieldrezner.com/archives/002358.html
This may be one of the most fortunate things that ever happened to this gentleman. I cynically consider all soft science Phds as idiots until proven otherwise. Anyone who acquires tenure is often an academic whore. What is a political scientist? I think of such a person as generally someone who overspecializes in a certain area of study---and is abysmally incapable of seeing the big picture. They should usually be treated as children and guided to another room so that the adults can get things done.
I was utterly appalled when Daniel Drezner, a professed Republican, came out in support of John Kerry. This is overwhelming evidence that he does not have his act together. What’s the value of all those years of formal education if Drezner is unable to perceive the danger of a Kerry presidency? As far as I know, he also failed to take to task Michael Scheuer for his despicable Jew bashing in Imperial Hubris: Why the West is Losing the War on Terror. No, Drezner likely dodged the proverbial bullet. He has inadvertently been giving the opportunity to save himself. Drezner now can try to emulate Victor Davis Hanson, an academic scholar who ranks among the very best. Where does Hanson teach? He is a member of the faculty at the “minor league” California State University. Alas, there is usually a serious price to be paid for intellectual integrity.
3 comments:
I suspect that Drezner's blogging did not serve him well in his tenure decision.
I haven't the slightest idea what went into Drezner's tenure decision, neither does he, or so he says. I did have the sense that spending as much time as he did in the hermetic academic environment warped his political stance. It is very difficult to escape the conventions of one's peers. I will be interested to see what career path he follows; I certainly hope he continues to blog.
David, yes, intellectual integrity is a hard thing to achieve in this day. It's not only the utopian ideologies of the university that get in the way, it's also, as you say, the relentless specialization that academics demand of each other as a way to insure people don't step on each other's toes. I suspect, sheer speculation, that it was Drezner's apparent desire to be a generalist, with opinions on all manner of things, opinions he had to publicize, that caused him more trouble than his political slant. It made him seem like he was wasting his time and not doing serious work.
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