Notice that your teachers are actually rational, if you define rationality as success in life. Believing or at least declaring to believe something you disagree with did not hinder their ability to get the job they want and teach the classes they want. They might not do as well in a science or engineering department, but that is not where they work.
You are stuck considering two options, missing a lot more of them. You think that they are wrong AND irresponsible AND harmful, period, and you can either try to fix it or to ignore it. Ironically, that is where your own failure lies: you can’t even consider that their views may actually work for them, and for other students. Art is not science, life is not logic and rationality is not a pursuit of the one truth.
Should I just shut up and focus on graduating? Or would it be unethical of me to just stand by while hundreds are taught to shut off their reasoning skills?
Consider learning empathy (understanding where others come from, why and how). Consider learning humility (accepting that your view might not be the only one worth holding). Consider learning other approaches to life, not necessarily just those based on pure logic. If you manage, you might be surprised by your own personal growth as a human.
If OP was taking a scientology class, you could say the exact same thing: the bullshit didn’t hinder the teacher’s ability to “succeed” (become a teacher of bullshit), therefore OP should learn empathy, etc. Presumably you wouldn’t make that argument, so it’s better to argue based on the qualities of the actual teaching.
I would make the same argument for a Scientology class[1]. You can and should learn empathy and humility, and one of the best ways is interaction with people with very different beliefs and models than you. You don’t have to agree with them, you don’t have to use their mechanisms directly, but you can and should identify how those mechanisms work for them, and understand that you’ll probably need some mechanisms for yourself that aren’t perfectly self-legible.
[1] Except the actual torture and brainwashing parts. If sleep deprivation or overt threats of violence are part of the class, you should probably just get out.
As Dagon said, learning empathy and humility is always a good idea. You don’t have to believe your teacher or condone their views or practices, but that’s a different issue.
Notice that your teachers are actually rational, if you define rationality as success in life. Believing or at least declaring to believe something you disagree with did not hinder their ability to get the job they want and teach the classes they want.
I note that lottery winners are rational under this definition, and also that unless you have more information than is in the post, you don’t actually know what OP’s teachers wanted out of life.
Notice that your teachers are actually rational, if you define rationality as success in life. Believing or at least declaring to believe something you disagree with did not hinder their ability to get the job they want and teach the classes they want. They might not do as well in a science or engineering department, but that is not where they work.
You are stuck considering two options, missing a lot more of them. You think that they are wrong AND irresponsible AND harmful, period, and you can either try to fix it or to ignore it. Ironically, that is where your own failure lies: you can’t even consider that their views may actually work for them, and for other students. Art is not science, life is not logic and rationality is not a pursuit of the one truth.
Consider learning empathy (understanding where others come from, why and how). Consider learning humility (accepting that your view might not be the only one worth holding). Consider learning other approaches to life, not necessarily just those based on pure logic. If you manage, you might be surprised by your own personal growth as a human.
If OP was taking a scientology class, you could say the exact same thing: the bullshit didn’t hinder the teacher’s ability to “succeed” (become a teacher of bullshit), therefore OP should learn empathy, etc. Presumably you wouldn’t make that argument, so it’s better to argue based on the qualities of the actual teaching.
I would make the same argument for a Scientology class[1]. You can and should learn empathy and humility, and one of the best ways is interaction with people with very different beliefs and models than you. You don’t have to agree with them, you don’t have to use their mechanisms directly, but you can and should identify how those mechanisms work for them, and understand that you’ll probably need some mechanisms for yourself that aren’t perfectly self-legible.
[1] Except the actual torture and brainwashing parts. If sleep deprivation or overt threats of violence are part of the class, you should probably just get out.
As Dagon said, learning empathy and humility is always a good idea. You don’t have to believe your teacher or condone their views or practices, but that’s a different issue.
I note that lottery winners are rational under this definition, and also that unless you have more information than is in the post, you don’t actually know what OP’s teachers wanted out of life.