[MD] academia

[David M]

Hi Gav

One of the things that I found depressing
about university was that most people 
saw it as a career step, they wanted
good grades, a degree, any degree, and had very little
interest in the subject they were studying.
Even the tutors did not seem to enjoy
their subject very much, although I was
very lucky to be allocated a top drawer
old Oxbridge prof as my personal tutor
who thought university education was
going down the pan but had a serious
passion for his subject.

Ta
David M




----- Original Message ----- 
From: "gav" <gav_gc at yahoo.com.au>
To: <moq_discuss at moqtalk.org>
Sent: Saturday, September 30, 2006 11:51 PM
Subject: [MD] academia


> hey dan,
> i think we have to very careful re: academia.
> the nature of the beast just doesn't sit with MOQ and
> mysticism in my opinion. it is based on individual
> evaluation and evaluation is the SOMitic murder of
> value. 
> 
> the neo-darwinian nature of the classroom -
> competition over co-operation - is low quality;
> although i have noticed more and more that classes are
> becoming more like discussion groups than didactic
> lectures: this is a good sign.
> 
> at the moment uni still reinforces the ego and the ego
> is the biggest impediment to being a genuine
> individual. in other words, the ego is the social
> level trying to usurp the intellectual and dynamic.
> 
> but i think bob sees mucho value in academic
> acceptance of the MOQ, and i think i agree. i just
> think that such an acceptance implies a transformation
> of university and education generally, which in turn
> means: slow process. but that's okay, all lasting
> change is gradual.
> 
> i tried uni again this year and loved the dynamic
> discussions but was pushing against the grain when it
> came to assessment. it all felt rather childish to be
> honest. now i am still technically enrolled (don't
> want give up that student card) but my actual
> participation begins and ends with the student
> philosophy association. this is an offcial uni club
> that my friend and i have total control over. it
> includes uni students from various faculties and
> people from the general community also. this is
> suiting me at the moment.
> 
> i think those going back to uni later in life are
> often more immune to the social level bullshit of uni
> - the status and propriety and assorted wank. my
> advice would be to not take the grading side too
> seriously, cos it isn't about that. what it is about
> is mutual intellectual evolution, sharing ideas and
> experiences and also having a lot of fun. after all
> uni is an island, relatively insulated from the
> pressures of 'the real world'. that is probably why it
> can be so hard to leave.
> 
> 
> 
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