A great story, Anna!
>From the "there is something rotten..."department:
Two questions remain, which have not yet - afaik - got much attention, and
probably interest those concerned with the accelerating demise of academic
values - and usefulness. ('academic interest' indeed...;-)
(i) What brought Count von und zu Guetenberg to plagiarize to such an
extent? (300pages out of 400 are concerned, I read - that's rather
massive)
The Wall Street Journal was speculating that he was pursuing an academic
title to be the cherry on the magnificent cake that his noble background,
personal fortune, good looks (and possibly, glam wife) represent. Making
him the prima dona assoluta of the poster boys of the modern right.
(Interestingly enough, the WSJ places the whole scandal in the context of
'rampant class war'...)
(ii) How comes his thesis was awarded 'cum laude' by Bayreuth University
if, apart from unnoticed plagiarism, which suggest quite poor erudition
from his suopervisor(s), the thesis lacked appropriate/ sufficient
supporting footnotes? (and then most probably other essential m&t features
as well)
I guess the next ones to resign will be his supervising professor and the
members of his thesis committee...
Btw, Angela Merkel's famous quip - which she has come to regret - was "I
hired a minister of defense, not a research assistant"
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