> Two points:
>
> 1. If you believe this analysis, then you should be in Boulder setting up
> rallies, or at least spending huge chunks of energy helping Churchill.
We're working on it.
> 2. Last week on John Stewart's show, I saw tape of Churchill in Hawaii.
> There, he said in front of the cameras that the job of academics is not to
> explain history carefully and strive toward science, but to say inflammatory
> things "to provoke response." What would we say if a rightist made such an
> insane and simply incorrect thing? That's right: We'd howl and call for
> dismissal.
No, we wouldn't!
I watched that segment too and I'd say that you completely misunderstand Churchill's argument. Ward is arguing that professors should be provocative, thus prompting their students to respond to them. Isn't this what you would want out of your academic experience, professors who challenge you to argue things with them and get you to think?
Otherwise you just snooze through class.
Chuck