> > From: DagT <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Date: 2006/07/26 Wed PM 12:04:42 GMT > To: Pentax-Discuss Mail List <pdml@pdml.net> > Subject: Re: Re: Talk about crap > > > Fra: "frank theriault" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > > > On 7/25/06, graywolf <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > I will defend the guys right to get up on a soap box, or write on the > > > Internet, but I do not think he should be given official sanction or tax > > > payer dollars to do so. Are we required to support every crackpot who > > > wishes to tell us about his hallucinations? > > > > It rankles me that people use the "not with my tax dollars" argument > > to try to muzzle academics whose views don't coincide with theirs. > > > > I didn't realize that part of the deal with public funds going to > > universities was to allow the public to set curriculum, or otherwise > > tell profs what to say (or not to say). > > > > In fact, I thought that tax dollars going to post-secondary > > institutions was all about recognizing that the particular values and > > freedoms of academia were worth preserving and promoting, not so that > > the government or the people could use that funding as a platform to > > promote personal or popular agendas or censor unpopular thoughts. > > > > I guess I'm naive. > > > Then so am I. > > Academia not only has to allow unpopular view, it depends upon it. All > science is based on the ciritical discussion of any subject. If you throw > out the discussions you may very well throw out thoughts and solutions that > may turn out to be valuable. > > If the students in this case learns to be critical toward the professors > views, and hopefully to any professors view, they have learned something very > valuable, as science is based on a sceptical view on authorities. If the > discussions about his methods make them more aware of the methods they use > themselves it is also a good thing, because the scientific method (in any > science) is more valuable than the recent findings and conclusions. > > DagT
You can just picture the scene a few decades ago: Mad Professor: "I've had an idea about his photography business. Everyone is sick of waiting for film to be processed, accidentally getting light on it, having to pay through the nose for processing. Why don't we try to capture the image on one of those silicon devices the Limeys have invented and then make a device that prints it by spitting ink at paper?" All the Bubbas in the lecture theatre roll about like Cadbury's Smash Martians, while the Japanese exchange student writes in his/her notebook.... ----------------------------------------- Email sent from www.ntlworld.com Virus-checked using McAfee(R) Software Visit www.ntlworld.com/security for more information -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List PDML@pdml.net http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net
