Quote:
Originally posted by alkaloid
I agree with supersix2 that the core mission of the school should be teaching the students and preparing them for the complex world. But holding diversity week or something like that does not necessarily diminish that mission. I also think students should be taught to think about moral values. It is stupid to teach the kid 300 years worth of cumulative knowledge of physics in 2 semesters yet ignore thousands of years' worth of knowledge and ponderings about morality, human mind and the nature, and expect the student to arrived at their world view just based on their parents' ramblings and prejudices, and the TV.
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I agree with your point that ignoring thousands of years of philosophical and ethical musings is counterproductive to creating educated, articulate, and well-rounded citizens. We rely on morals much more than our math skills each day--there isn't any reason not to teach the underpinnings of what many scholars have thought about in the past centuries.
I don't think this rises to teaching people "opinions." People form their opinions based on information--but they can't form intelligent or informed opinions without the tools to do so: forms of logic, moral instruction (that is, methods to reach a moral conclusion, a la Kant or Mill, etc.), and an understanding and acceptance that differences of opinion exist (and why).
That said, without the context of why this girl was prevented from participating, I would agree that she should have been able to express her viewpoint. Not, as some have suggested, because I don't care that she would have offended people; I think she should not offend people, and I find that people often express themselves in ways to purposefully incite anger towards their viewpoints. I think the person offering an alternate viewpoint should do so eloquently and respectfully. Hopefully effectual dialog can follow.