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Originally Posted by Marlin
O, was he ever liberal, but unlike most of the other Rutgers Professors, he was very tolerant of other views than his own.
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It is interesting that you mention that, Marlin. I had a similar experience many years ago with one of my philosophy instructors. He was a flaming Left Coast liberal and I a member of the California College Republicans and the small pro-Vietnam War movement on campus. Now remember, this was in the mid-60s at the height of the Vietnam War with anti-war rallies going on almost daily in the campus Plaza. Anyway, we disagreed on just about everything political and had many, many fine arguments, both inside and outside of class. What made Dr. Kessler special, though, was his willingness to look at and consider an opposite viewpoint. I once wrote a paper for him that heavily attacked the whole Johnson "War on Poverty" program as being a socialist trap that would bankrupt the U.S. Like you, I fully expected no more than a "C" on the paper. When it came back with an "A" I about fell out of my chair! Yes, he did state clearly that he disagreed with me, but he also complimented me heavily for the arguments I presented. Indeed, it was this man who sparked my interest in philosophy. I went on to take several courses from him, and yes, we still argued about almost everything!
