Balances Of Values And Academiic Freedom Of Inquiry Essay, Research Paper

Balances of Values and Academiic Freedom of Inquiry

Dear Mr. R. Kirby Godsey,

In the process of life we face many challenges and many crossroads. We

have many choices and many decisions to make. In making these decisions we must

keep in mind the moral values our parents have taught us since we were born.

Those Christian values should guide our lives and the choices we make. These

same values should also guide at school as well. In our pursuit of knowledge, we

should keep these values in mind.

In our never-ending road of learning, we are granted with many academic

freedoms. We have the freedom to question and try to learn new ideas. We also

have the freedom to disagree with the material presented to us. We can disagree

and voice our opinions, but in an orderly fashion.

In exercising those freedoms, we should do so with maturity and

responsibility. As students, we are responsible for learning all the content of

any course we study. We are free to take exception to the views or information

presented to us, and we are free to reserve judgment about matters of opinions.

Sometimes, in our quest for knowledge, there becomes a conflict between

our beliefs we are accustomed to and the material presented to us. When there is

a difference, we should not ignore the idea or block it out. We should feel free

to learn and question new ideas. Just because we learn something doesn’t mean we

have to accept it. We should leave ourselves open to new ideas. When we do this

we become very well rounded individuals.

An example of this is the issue involving the debate between evolution

and creationism. As Christians, we naturally believe in creationism, but we

shouldn’t stop learning about evolution because we don’t believe in it. This

makes us very close minded. We shouldn’t stop learning about a subject just

because we don’t believe in it. One of our freedoms is the academic freedom of

inquiry. This means we have freedom to question. We have the freedom to learn.

We can still search for more answers, and we can learn different theories and

still keep our beliefs. The trick in doing this is to balance all of this. We

must be able to keep our beliefs and new ideas presented separated. We must be

able to draw a line between what you learn and what you believe. In doing this

we become open minded individuals.

I believe if we can balance our values and our academic freedom of

inquiry we have reached a whole new level of learning. Not many people can do

this. It is hard to want to learn material presented to us that you don’t

particularly care for or believe in. When we learn to do this we are open to a

whole new world of possibilities.

I feel I have learned how to keep my morals and beliefs, while

continuing my search for new ideas and information. I feel I have learned to

balance these. I have found the line between the two , and I know when too far

is too far. Since Mercer is a place where I can feel free to open myself to new

doors and express my beliefs, I feel I would blend into the Mercer environment

very well. I am open to new ideas and want to learn. I want to get the best

education I can get and Mercer is the place where I can get it. I am willing to

learn as much as I can, whether it is spiritually, academically, or

intellectually.

Sincerely,

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