Parents Weekend Open House • Condominiums - for Sale & Lease • Investor Properties • Single Family Housing • Bank Foreclosures - Some On Shuttlebus TAMU Cripple Creek Condominiums University Oaks HWY 30 STANFORD-“The First Name In Real Estate” STANFORD CD INVESTMENTS 1776-03311 “Agents Available All Weekend’ Page 4/The Battalion/Friday, April 10, 1987 A&M philosophy prof dabbles in Peace Corps, military ethics erformance "Is our Business" We believe in Performance: In Your Car or Truck For any Repair-Import or Domestic Bryan Drive Train call us 268-AUTO Rfipklco OUT - "? CELEBRATE Borneo . after F , NALS!! MSC Travel PUERTO VALLARTA ONLY $350.00 MAY 17-21 DEADLINE for deposit April 10 for more info call 845-1515 By Doug Driskell Reporter Books on Plato, Marx, Dewey and Hegel all are within reach of a man who has helped put the Peace Corps in Africa, advised the Joint Chiefs of Staff on military ethical problems, and started the growing philosophy department at Texas A&M. The rotund man sits behind a desk with the rough draft of the manuscript for his latest research project in front of him. He sports clip-on suspenders and wears black framed glasses. “I tell my students if they don’t talk, I will,” Dr. Manuel Davenport of the philosophy department says with a laugh. “I’m like nature — I will fill a vacuum, mostly with hot air.” The slow, deliberate speaker leans forward and moves his rough draft aside. This semester he has taken a faculty research leave to study the relationship between pacifism and militarism. He became interested in this relationship in 1981 as a visiting pro fessor at the Air Force Academy. “I was teaching military ethics, and the cadets kept asking me about pacifism,” Davenport says. “They had never heard anything good about a pacifist. So what I started to do was to look into pacifism and make the best case for it. “Surprisingly the cadets respected the pacifist, but they disagreed with them. In a way they liked the ideals but knew they were unachievable.” Although Davenport enjoys talk ing about militarism and pacifism, he has a startling conclusion about human nature. “I think there is real evil in the world,” he says. “I am not a person who believes that human nature is perfectable. ourselves Right?” up in the meantime. After teaching for 10 years and establishing the Colorado State Uni- lilc i v Oaks Efficiency Special $199 Eficiency, 1,2, & 3 Bdrtn. apartments 2 & 3 Bdrm townhomes 1 Attic Storage 1 2 Pools 1 Covered Parking 1 5 Laundry Rooms • Responsive and Responsible Maintenance • Professional On-Site Management by Jacques Miller ' \ 3902 E. 29th, Bryan 846-7996 “I don’t think that by means of ed ucation and TV ads we are going to solve all human problems,” lie says, chuckling. “I think from time to time human nature is going to produce people like Hitler and Stalin,” he says. Leaning back in his chair, he con cludes, “I tend to quote humorist James Thurber who said, ‘People are no damn good.’ I would like to be lieve the pacifists (who believe peo ple are perfectable) are right. I wish they were. I hope they are. If they are, then some day we will have peace on earth — if we do not blow versity philosophy department, Da venport came to A&M in 1967. He specifically came to start a philoso phy department — to organize it and develop a major. A profile written on A&M sug gested that the school neither has nor wants a philosophy department, Davenport says with a laugh. And legend has it that former A&M Pres ident James Earl Rudder called in the academic vice president and said that although he didn’t know exactly what a philosophy department was, he wanted one at A&M. A&M really didn’t know exactly what the purpose of philosophy at a university was in 1967, Davenport recalls. Rudder believed philosophy was something one learned and then went out and did — something prac tical, Davenport says. Philosophy would help anybody do a better job, but one does not go out and do phi losophy. “Philosophy has practical value in its application,” he says. “This was the hardest thing to sell to the stu dents and alumni at A&M.” Davenport says people tended to judge the department on how many majors it had. “We should not have too many majors, but there should be a lot of people taking philosophy courses,” he says. Davenport has applied his philo sophical studies through his mem bership in the Joint Services Confer ence on Professional Ethics. He was the first civilian member of the con ference, which works through the National Defense University advis ing the Joint Chiefs of Staff on ethi cal problems in the military. “We meet once a year and do studies on subjects such as terror ism,” he says. “Unfortunately, our recommendations are not always taken. “Anybody with a little bit of com mon sense knows how to deal with terrorism, and it is discouraging when Reagan does it hack-asswards. Reagan had it right at first. What happened in Libya is almost a text book application of studies that have been made in this conference in Washington. I think it was dumb to go after Gadhafi’s home and kill his baby girl. That makes us look bad. A quick air strike on a good way to combat t The twice-tenurec took part in the Peace ity study under the 1 ministration. “Our job was to find the countrie for the pilot projects of the Peao Corps,” Davenport says. “My job wa to find the best place in Africa.” Daven pot t selected N w is still productive today years later, he returned and found it still flourishiti places, although failing in c “I was against putting t Corps in a small country called ( >n. It was very pro-French a they did not port says “It turned out that they had Peace Corps there, and shortly they had to abandon the pt Some of the volunteers even each,” he says, nines, and that makes \&M. Five years ago 11 another love of misl Having studensi and getting them inters] me is interesting.” •upon will continue L] until the fall of 1987, whet] ume teaching, ill be doing more lead] ore research,’’ he says] i his future plans. Tilt ■'he Lady •ii\ much the same.iffBost thief in this semester I will useitifoimance next semester." By BThe He evenings c Rudder At its perform ■ VVednesc jhiih incl )n Qui: UT regents postpone vote on new chairman Call Battalion Classified 845-2611 •; - SMITHVILLE (AP) — University of Texas re gents Thursday postponed a vote on a new chair man until their June meeting. The postpone ment motion came from one of Gov. Bill Clements’ new appointees, Sam Barshop of San Antonio. “I think the members should have more infor mation before we vote on this,” Barshop said. Clements has told Jess Hay, former Gov. Mark White’s chief fund-raiser, that Clements wants Hay out of the influential chairmanship. Clem ents has said he and Hay did not “communicate.” Another new appointee, W.A. “T ex” Moncrief of Fort Worth protested the delay, saying he thought the election of the chairman should be held T hursday. The Moncrief motion was overruled by Hay, who said the board had its own t ales on election of officers. T he vote to postpone was 4-3 with a third Clements’ new appointee, Louis Beecherl of Dal las, abstaining. Senate confirmation of the three new regents was held more than a week after Beecherl told Committee he t Hinutes. 1 both night: lengths con About 1, Je Thursc sponsored Pei forming Wrdnesdav m HEAD free-swinging.. bizarre .. Don’t miss the Monkees as they lead us through a wild fantasy world where just about anything can happen! They are joined by an amazing group of celebrities including Frank Zappa and Carol Doda, the silicone queen. FRIDAY 4/M! & Saturday 4/u ~ "irit Advanced-Sale Tickets Available $1.50 Rudder Theater The Lady and The Tranip 4 . 15 Pf the Senate Nominations li.tw si.iik- «■ >mmn iik ih" to ClementsbeaBgan with the two had talked about Clements'wish toktH Houston .( im v. i 11 isos i>> < h nn-nis in return for ikByntfn,),' pointments. Bla Bar’tc However. Beecherl told a later sessionofiBnied to Noimii.iiions ( imimitu i he made m> LWmcerto. i Minmii num t<> ( .l< ineiits. Keetherl said litiBirv. ihc ( ilu govcnuH h< would he willing to vote luBsigned it new chairman il net essary, but he feltthribijages and t enc rs with Ha\ < ould be ‘workedout." Ipiece. JSometin i; movements 4004 Harvey Rrf. 776-8970 11-9:45 /A ifv RtSUURAHT Zarape's 308 Main Downtown Brvafl m-mi' 9:30-8:45 Closed Mondays Serving The Finest Mexican Food to Texas A&M Students and Faculty for over 15 years House Specialities Include: Red Snapper €lialupa$ Compuestas T'ostadas de Polio Broeheta de C a marines Polio a la Pan-ilia Enchiladas Nurtenas Menus vary between restaurants. Please call for information & Daily specials Jose’s features a full service bar and banquet facilities for ap to 120 people. Please conu- >md join us in our cot- try setting, only l*/i miles east of Post Oak Mall on Harvey Road. F.O.H. CLUB PLANT SALE matching tl tok’s music. 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