Anti-Capitalist Christian College Professors Who Know Nothing About Economics

Gary North reports:

Professors of liberal arts courses other than economics at obscure little Christian colleges -- virtually all Christian colleges are obscure and little -- are generally opposed to the free market.

They got their Ph.D. degrees way back when, and all they really remember about economics is what they learned in a sociology course. That course satisfied the social science requirement for the B.A. They might have taken a course in economics, but they took one look at the textbook, and they could not figure it out. It looked complicated. So, they took a sociology course instead. It qualified for the three-semester credit hours that they had to have a as social science. Or maybe they took three units in a government class. But that was about it.

Basic fact: they did not take a course in economics.

They now teach literature. Or maybe they teach philosophy. They have strong opinions about the free market. They don't like it. They read The Washington Post, The New York Times, and The Huffington Post. So do all of their friends, all of whom are seeking tenure but have not yet received it. Their friends don't like the free market, either.

They think they understand economics because of that sociology course way back when. But they cannot follow an economic argument. They have no intention of following an economic argument. They have never read a free market economics book. They have no intention of reading a free market economics book. The important thing is this: they love Jesus, and they love the editorials in The New York Times. That combination, they firmly believe, gives them the right to have unimpeachable opinions about the free market economy. They teach these views to the English major students.

I have been dealing with these people for approximately 60 years. They never change. Their opinions never change. Their inability to follow an economic argument never changes. Their complete ignorance of the corpus of economic thought never changes. They have strong opinions, and they are not going to listen to economic arguments. They know all about economic arguments. "It's just a bunch of self-interested pro-business claptrap." They read this in The New York Times.

It's difficult to criticize the market economy if you haven't taken a single class in economics.