It is a shameful sign of our arrogance that our history departments have almost no Chinese history in them, our literature courses almost no Chinese literature, our philosophy departments almost none of the great Chinese systems of philosophy. And our religious schools have been the most arrogant of all. This ignorant arrogant mind has become fixed in its patterns. It is the pattern which considers anything not American to be inferior - unless it be English.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- The author criticizes Western academic institutions for excluding Chinese history, literature, and philosophy, labeling this exclusion as arrogant and ignorant.
- In plain terms
- Western schools ignore Chinese culture because they think it is inferior.
- What can you take from it?
- Arrogance prevents learning from other cultures and their contributions.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- What cultures are missing from your education?
- How does bias affect learning?
Another view
It attributes systemic curriculum choices to individual arrogance rather than institutional inertia.
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