tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4015350462795781831.post7438877368843247440..comments2023-10-29T05:38:48.821-04:00Comments on control y: Academia, of Sirens and Irrelevancekerrjachttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14446419956533734149noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4015350462795781831.post-1077082641236693052009-11-09T05:32:09.067-05:002009-11-09T05:32:09.067-05:00I actually think undergrads should study barnacles...I actually think undergrads <i>should</i> study barnacles, and many other things besides...Nuclear physics, plate tectonics, cosmology, the history of biology, political science, Russian literature, cult anthropology, civil engineering, Arabic philosophy, etc., etc...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4015350462795781831.post-40601413542815918172009-11-07T12:08:19.601-05:002009-11-07T12:08:19.601-05:00Thanks for the comments.
To the degree that overp...Thanks for the comments.<br /><br />To the degree that overproduction is a concern, one also has to look at the inputs (and incentives) going in, among other things high tuition and subsidized eduction. The underlying factor here is an incredible amount of public trust - not wholly undeserved - for the academic system, both when it comes to education and research spending. <br /><br />As for specialization, I'm not quite as skeptical as you. Indeed, one of the largest pulls away from it is the rapid development of the economy. But even if you're just teaching yourself, it would be rather hard to study anything for more than a few years and avoid reading specialized material.<br /><br />What is important in specialization is the transferability of knowledge. There's a well recognized literary quality of detail - its ability to spark a reader's imagination - which I'd argue parallels the role of specialization in the pursuit of knowledge: e.g., "How sharper than a serpent's tooth it is to have a thankless child", or consider the 'parable' of Darwin's first years studying barnacles. However, it is near impossible to teach or inspire the ability to transfer specialized knowledge, lest we make all undergrads study barnacles.kerrjachttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14446419956533734149noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4015350462795781831.post-85723409266285488302009-11-04T03:14:04.578-05:002009-11-04T03:14:04.578-05:00Meritocratic principles are only part of what Mena...Meritocratic principles are only part of what Menand talks about. Overproduction seems one of his primary concerns, and it is a important one. US Academia may be hampered by more aristocratic sensibilities than here in Canada, where university is generally more affordable. But being relevant beyond the Ivory Tower and continuing to ask hard questions about society's basic assumptions are roles central to modern academia's <i>raison d'etre</i>. <br /><br />Again, I think the whole issue of specialization, sub-specialization and the reductionistic imperative in modern knowledge making should also be addressed. Somehow.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com