Really, I was hoping not to mention AC Grayling's new money-spinning scheme with attached humanitites cramming college for London University. Which is, apparently, a university in London. Although I'm not aware it qualifies for the Boat Race. Maybe it always gets knocked out in the group stages?
In any case, I was really more concerned about the way this nonsense was spreading through the not-quite-cutting edge academic glitterati. I was wondering whether Richard Dawkins' ego is now so large that it's collapsed under its own mass, forming a black hole that is sucking other academics in? If so, where will it end? In the end, maybe only Hawking radiation will be able to spare us the odd middle-ranking, literate scientist.
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ReplyDeleteAcademics aren't allowed to make money?
ReplyDeleteWe all have skills that we sell to other people who want to pay for them, it seems uncharitable to suggest that certain people are somehow excluded from this system, why should they be?
I'm left wondering if it's the lack of religiosity in education that people are objecting to, or perhaps they are concerned that atheists will be positively discriminated for or are they just jealous that money may be made by the founders?
I can't see this being much more than an interesting PR stunt for now in any case.
I'm sure I would never want to stand in the way of anyone wanting to make a stash. Every little added to what you've got already makes a little more.
ReplyDeleteSome people will object to the idea that this is a way of some richer people buying their way to a kind of Oxbridge Lite degree. Which I suppose I can see - after all, I had to get good A Levels and then be rejected by the Laboratory of Physical Chemistry before I was allowed to work in the Zoology Dept at Oxford. Whereas now, for a trifling £18K p.a. your offspring will be entitled to get Richard Dawkin's autograph and have intensive teaching from someone who once met him, into the bargain!
And I think you'll find that many atheists have been just as critical of this scheme as some believers. The £18K seems more of an offence than the lack of belief, frankly.
But yes, in the end, the use of Dawkins in this way is a bit of a stunt - the same sort of thing that TV-AM used when they got Roland Rat in for a while, I should think.
True, the objections seem across the board although there are quite a few religious blogs/news sites reporting objections (I suppose that could just be the Dawkins phenomenon / phobia)
ReplyDeleteNot sure I understand why £18K would be offensive though, £100s of billions for bankers bail-outs/bonuses yes, some educated old geezers making a few grand a year on the side not so much...