12/11/2021

Headline, December 12 2021/ ''' '' THE MODERN UNIVERSITY TAP '' '''


''' '' THE MODERN

 UNIVERSITY TAP '' '''



THE GREAT STUDENTS OF THE WORLD TO NOTE : FEW ORGANIZATIONS IN THE WORLD have had or will ever have, as much impact as The World Students Society, - the exclusive ownership of every student in the world.

Wise and democratic. Far-sighted, pragmatic and caring. Checks and balances. Accountable and transparent. Everybody is equal. Everybody is free. Everybody loved and respected. Everybody is welcome. And in time, a button, and a click, and anybody could edit anything he wants.

The entire world's distinguished leaders and intellectuals are focused on a new version of The World. !WOW! rises to give the global leaders a standing ovation and to thank them, most profoundly, for their support.

FEW LECTURES HAVE HAD AS MUCH IMPACT as C.P. Snow's on '' two cultures, '' delivered in Cambridge in 1959. Its thesis was that Western intellectuals life was divided into two mutually uncomprehending camps :

The Sciences and the Arts - with arts graduates disdainful of culturally illiterate scientists, and scientists astonished that arts graduates had no clue about the second law of thermodynamics. 

[ Snow as both a chemist and a novelist, had a foot in both camps ]. It provoked a vituperative response from F.R. Leavis, an English literature don, who described his Cambridge colleagues as being '' intellectually as undistinguished as it is possible to be '', but was largely greeted with rousing applause as an intellectual landmark and a call to action.

This columnist was reminded of the two cultures by recent goings-on in Oxford, Cambridge's perennial  rival. On June 12, a striking number of Oxford scientists were recognised in the Queen's Birthday Honours list for their role in fighting the coronavirus pandemic.

Among those honoured were Sarah Gilbert and Adrian Hill, who were instrumental in developing the AstraZeneca vaccine; and Peter Horby and Martin Landray, who co-led the world's largest randomized tests of treatments.

The awards recognised tests of treatments. The awards recognized Oxford's commitment to scientific excellence, as well as the dedication of extraordinary individuals.

Days earlier 150 Oxford dons had published an open letter announcing a boycott of Oriel College. They would refuse to teach its students, attend its seminars or help with outreach to applicants, in protest against its decisions not to remove a statue of Cecil Rhodes that faces the High Street.

What to do with the statue is complicated by Rhode's dual career as committed imperialist and great university benefactor. [ It is also ugly ]. But a boycott is silly. It punishes students and potential students, who have no say over the statue's fate.

It offends against college self-governance. After agnosing over the statue for years, Oriel has opted or a policy of '' retain and explain '' , in part because changing the facade of a Grade Two listed building would be pricey, and the college is already burdened with pandemic-related expenses.

The letter was signed by many of Oxford's noisiest public and would-be public intellectuals. One is Danny Dorling, a professor of Geography and the author of ''Slowdown'', which argues that rapid economic and demographic growth are ''good for the economy, and the planet and our lives''.

We need to stop treating '' change, innovation and discovery as unalloyed benefits'', he argues, and welcome slowdown as salvation from '' disaster far worse than a pandemic ''.

Another is Dan Hicks, curator of Pitt Rivers Museum, author of '' The British Museums '' and a leading campaigner for the return of the Benin Bronzes to Nigeria.

He argues that Western Museums ''house unending violence, ceaseless trauma, colonial crimes committed again every morning as the strip lights click on''.

The only alternative he sees to complicity in in imperial bloodshed and genocide is to is to return ''the curated spoils of empire '' as part of a broader process of ''decolonisation ''.

The younger researchers who added their names to the letter are well represented by Sneha Krishnan, a ''feminist historical and cultural geographer'' who is studying '' how childhood and youth are materialised in entanglement with the enduring power of imperialism.

The contrast between the honorands and the letter-writers points to the existence of two cultures in the modern university, and indeed the modern intellectual world : one of optimistic problem-solving and another of pessimistic problem-wallowing.

The Honour and Serving of the Latest Global Operational Research and Writings on The State of the World, continues. The World Students Society thanks author The Economist.

With respectful dedication to Britain's intelligentsia, global Leaders, Global Founder Framers,  Grandparents, Parents, Students, Professors and Teachers of the world. See Ya all prepare and register for Great Global Elections on The World Students Society : wssciw.blogspot.com and Twitter - !E-WOW! - The Ecosystem 2011 :

Good Night and God Bless

SAM Daily Times - the Voice of the Voiceless

0 comments:

Post a Comment

Grace A Comment!