Live data from Hacker News

I speak at Harvard as it faces its biggest crisis since 1636

scottaaronson.blog

111–115 of 115 posts

Re: I speak at Harvard as it faces its biggest crisis since 1636

#112

"...once the government did take away funding and present its ultimatum—completely outside the process specified in Title VI law—Columbia’s administration quickly agreed to everything asked, to howls of outrage from the left-leaning faculty. Yet despite its total capitulation, the government has continued to hold Columbia’s medical research and other science funding hostage, while inventing a never-ending list of add…

[edit] Don't kill the messenger... I think the clearest and most cogent articulation I have seen was given by Marc Andreesen back in January, in a 4 hour podcast on Trump policy with Lex Friedman, starting at 58 min. His position was that University reform is not possible. Instead, the institutions themselves need to be destroyed so that new institutions can replace them with more agreeable values [1]. Relevant highl…

> Then you can rebuild.

I wouldn't trust Andreesen and his gang to build anything that is beneficial to the public instead of shareholders.

Re: I speak at Harvard as it faces its biggest crisis since 1636

#113

Earlier quoted context omitted.

We could extend this thinking to all public expenditures. National Socialism is getting popular again.

Yes. Private institutions shouldn't get public money.

Just to be clear: You think that the government should never pay private entities?

That is a hilariously silly idea.

Re: I speak at Harvard as it faces its biggest crisis since 1636

#114

I think Scott's take here is fair because he acknowledges that most of the Ivy League did (and largely still does) have huge problems with adequately protecting Jewish students and perspectives, and more broadly, intellectual viewpoint diversity of any kind. And prior administrations did push regulatory and funding requirements and policies to support DEI and other hot point issues to an extent that was clearly agend…

The idea that Jewish students are in danger at Harvard is just as absurd as the idea that Canada is to blame for the US' fentanyl problem. Harvard is probably one of the least antisemitic places on Earth.

Scott Aaronson has perpetuated the false claims about Harvard and other university campuses being antisemitic, because he is unable to separate hatred of Jews from opposition to what Israel is doing to the Palestinians. If you've been told all your life that people hate Israel because they hate the Jews, it's very difficult to break out of that and realize that the Palestinians have been horribly mistreated and have enormous, legitimate grievances against Israel.

But now fake claims of antisemitism are being used as a cudgel to end academic freedom in the US, and suddenly Aaronson and others who share his beliefs are in a difficult situation. They helped create the conditions for Trump's assault on academia.

Re: I speak at Harvard as it faces its biggest crisis since 1636

#115

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If we follow that thought through public money also shouldn't go to private companies.

Agreed. Let’s do that too.

so how would the government buy anything?
Post reply on HN