My second (unplanned) interview with @nfergus is out!
I had originally called him to get some commentary on the new university he's launching, and it turned into a disquisition on the role of higher education throughout history and in American politics.
thepullrequest.com/p/universalizi…
I had originally called him to get some commentary on the new university he's launching, and it turned into a disquisition on the role of higher education throughout history and in American politics.
thepullrequest.com/p/universalizi…
@nfergus (This image preview is a horror.)
The dark conspiracy theory behind the University of Austin is that Niall and others were fed up with academia, and decided (unlike other academics) to actually do something about it.
The dark conspiracy theory behind the University of Austin is that Niall and others were fed up with academia, and decided (unlike other academics) to actually do something about it.
@nfergus Niall's principal beef was that the culture of both debate and scholarly fellowship that once reigned at the great universities (such as at Oxford in the 80s, when he was a student) is gone, to the detriment of both students and society.
His university aims to bring that back.
His university aims to bring that back.
Which of course triggered a whole discourse on the role of the university in American society: here I am going on about how American universities fulfill several roles, some scholarly and noble, some merely prestige games among doltish elites who are buying status.
This institution-building is only strange in our even stranger time: historically, Americans have founded lots of universities, including Niall's current academic affiliation Stanford.
Somehow, the Valley titans lack the nerve to create academic competitors to the status quo.
Somehow, the Valley titans lack the nerve to create academic competitors to the status quo.
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