Academia was interesting and pleasant when I was a student. That is how I became a professor. Since then I have wondered why academia is actually so unpleasant and I have come up with several observations and theories. I stand by these theories and by others, including the theory that professors are in a way … More On Academic Misery
This article is of interest. For instance: Fascism creates confusion through “facts”. It relies on junk science, revisionism, the elimination of cultural records/treasures and obfuscations to create its case and gain acceptance. Fascism can also combine Marxist critiques of capitalism or faith based critics of the same to re-define middle class perceptions of democracy and … More On Fascism
If your parents believe that you can pass 15 credit hours’ worth of college level work by merely attending class, they can insist that you also work full time, because 40+15=55. If your parents insist that missing class to drive them to the doctor or babysit your sister’s children should be an “excused absence” from … More An Academic Culture
Unless you are in the honors program or a graduate student, in which cases situations vary, you can tell me your class and a little bit about your life; I will then guess what your grades are and be right. I hardly need to see your work, because I have diagnosed you by class and … More On Grading
I There is a good website for the trial of ex-President Alberto Fujimori, for very serious human rights violations in Peru. The trial begins 10 December 2007 in Lima. This video has a slightly anti-Asian frame (Fujimori fled to Japan and claimed Japanese citizenship at one point, and he is known in Peru as “El … More Alberto Fujimori
Tower of Babel – Western Epistemology, by Jennifer Cascadia. A snippet: “Rational thinking has become a lost art, and catering to one another’s ‘perceptions’ by treating all perceptions (no matter how outlandish) as if they were already valid components of reality itself has become more common. In other words, social interactions have become politicised. . … More On Perception and Reality
From Jennifer Armstrong: Blaming the victim is quite common on the part of the far right. However, in Australia, it is far more common to succumb to an ideology that overestimates the power of “the individual”. Thus, directly out of this ideology comes the notion that whatever happens to one is somehow directly related to … More On Blaming the Victim
Read God, Save Us from Merit Pay for Teachers! by The Chaff. Via Unsane and Safe. In good news, 20,000 meritorious people protested WHINSEC on November 18. Bill Quigley writes: Even if the US government is reluctant to close the school, Latin American countries look like they will do it themselves. Argentina, Bolivia, Costa Rica, … More On Merit
The following is a comment from this thread. It makes several important points so I am reposting it. I don’t understand the American context as I am not there. I do think it is a shame that teaching cannot take place. There is a kind of global infection of self-indulgence nowadays, based on the philosophy … More On Education
I am reading this book on the recommendation of Liz. It is smart. If I had not investigated its subject matter quite thoroughly before reading it, I might find it yet more epoch-making. On the other hand, I might not understand it so well. It has given me another insight on Reeducation. I have had … More Stalking the Soul
coldhearted scientist وداد 