2 thoughts on “Academia”

  1. One issue is that the baby that will be thrown out with this particular bathwater is IMPORTANT: scientific research.

    Yes, some scientific research is nonsensical button-sorting. Don’t bother quoting examples; I probably know them. But the post-Vannevar Bush academic-industrial complex has formed the foundation of a whole lot of technologies that people on this blog like. Are you interested in new materials to handle hypersonic speeds? Space domain awareness? In-situ resource utilization on the Moon or Mars? Mining the asteroids? Fault-tolerant software? How to implement the Artemis Accords? All of those are being developed at American research universities, usually with Federal grant dollars.

    If you can figure out a way to eliminate Kurt’s “Norwegian Feminist Dance Theory” majors while allowing universities to continue supporting humanity’s expansion into the solar system, I’m all ears. But, if not, I’m reduced to quoting Heinlein:

    Our race will spread out through space — unlimited room, unlimited energy, unlimited wealth. This is certain. But I am not certain that the working language will be English.

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