September 7, 2009

“Judge not, that ye be not judged.”

How does this apply in the Academic World?

“We should not judge others.”This is something that we often hear when it comes to comparing differences between the systems and institutions of different countries. There is a sense that it wrong to judge. “Judge not, that ye be not judged.” Matthew 7:1. I think that the concern has merit. Human beings have a strong tendency to believe that their culture, country, sports team, ______ is the best. Comparisons can quickly degenerate into self congratulations and a chant of "we are the best."

I have noticed this tendency in the health care debate in the US. From pundit to “man on the street” interviews, you hear people make the argument that "since the US has the best health care system in the world, we should not change?" Even the critics do not seem to want to question the underlying assumption that the US has “the best system.” I assume this is because they also fear of being branded unpatriotic.

The truth is more likely to be that the US system has some good points, some bad points, and some mediocre points. But, without the ability to realistically look at all the alternatives and make judgments without the "we are #1" prejudice coloring our conclusions, we have to allow themselves to see the world in a more realistic way, and understand what is actually happening in other parts of the world.

This is a long explanation, but what I am trying to say is that we cannot avoid judging, if we want to improve legal systems around the world. But, to make improvements we also have to consciously make an attempt to see the bad and well as the good in our own systems, as well as in other systems.