The word ôpoliticalö encompasses a wide range of values and beliefs. Though generally associated with oneÆs view of politics or support of political parties, having a political identity embraces a much wider swath of human persona and behavior. My political identity is liberal but not so much liberal in the sense that is readily associated with the Democratic Party. My sense of liberalism encompasses, at its core, a moral philosophy and the concept of universalism. This essay will reveal the values and beliefs within my political identity, my aims as an educator and change agent in light of this identity, and an assessment of the political identity of my coworkers.
There are two main concepts built into the foundation of my political identity. The first of these is the concept of universalism. This is not to say there is no room for the particular, only to say that law, education, and other social institutions must revolve around the universals that connect all human beings. As Boyle described it, ôWithin a particular vision of education, universalism and university define each other. Universalismàis a way of knowing, an idea of morality and above all, a mode of lifeùa plan for livingö (4). Within universalism must be a moral code by which to guide conduct or political activism within the educational arena. As a change agent, the universal worldview is best served to me by the Kantian moral philosophy known as the categorical imperative. As Boyle relates, ôIn Kantian tradition in morality, our acts are moral if we could will that the rules underlying those actions became universal normsö (5).
We live in a society where a moral code to guide behavior is often missing among change agents, who all too often desire change because it best fits their own ambitions or desires. With a Kantian moral framework, one is able to measure oneÆs proposed course of change or activism to bring it about through a sound m...