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Is it time to return to the medieval way of life on college campuses?

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Re: Is it time to return to the medieval way of life on college campuses?

#21

Post by prodigal_erik »

arethuza wrote: post #20
cma wrote: post #4

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anathem

One thing that the Cartasian maths did in Anathem was to effectively provide a civilization insurance policy by preserving knowledge, and a scientific mindset, through extended dark ages. In you look around and wonder what would happen if there was a general collapse of civil society you do have to wonder who and where the bodies of knowledge that we have collected over the last few thousand years would be preserved…

It reminds me of Hillis' observation that relics like the Dead Sea Scrolls are safe while lost but endangered by being found and put in a museum.

http://longnow.org/essays/millennium-clock/

Re: Is it time to return to the medieval way of life on college campuses?

#22

Post by arethuza »

wisty wrote: post #12

Why would anybody want to copy an education system that arguably set Europe back 1000 years?

I can appreciate that the involvement of religion with education has had some negative impact on scientific and social development, but I would have thought that overall historically it has probably had a positive effect.

Note that I say this as an atheist and as someone who doesn't think that there is much place for religion in modern education, apart from learning about religions as part of general cultural awareness.

Re: Is it time to return to the medieval way of life on college campuses?

#25

Post by stcredzero »

bd_at_rivenhill wrote: post #7

Another corrupting influence—anxiety over college costs—could be removed entirely by making our institutions self-sustaining through productive labor. The author is ignoring a significant advantage that actual monasteries and convents have on this point: they are exempt from taxes by law and longstanding tradition. It's not clear that an institution lacking this advantage could really become economically self-suffici…

Actual monasteries and convents are in a perfect position to fill this role. Not only do they often have the perfect geographical location, they also have physical plants which are designed to foster the right mental attitude and already have practices that do the same. They also have the right tax exempt status.

Re: Is it time to return to the medieval way of life on college campuses?

#26

Post by arethuza »

jhamburger wrote: post #14

I think we can all agree at least that the current 'college experience' goes a little to far in the other extreme. I'd argue that at this point its actually a step backward from adulthood. High school student: -Wakes up at 6am, Juggles school, extracurriculars, home responsibilities, social life, holds a part-time job college student: -Doesn't change out of pajamas until it's time to go to the bar.

Actually for me university was exactly where I learned self discipline because the opportunities to go off the rails were just so available - after coming with a hair's breadth of being thrown out I turned myself around and ended up with excellent marks and a first. In some ways the very availability of distractions is part of the strengths of a traditional university education.

Re: Is it time to return to the medieval way of life on college campuses?

#27

Post by rdouble »

bd_at_rivenhill wrote: post #7

Another corrupting influence—anxiety over college costs—could be removed entirely by making our institutions self-sustaining through productive labor. The author is ignoring a significant advantage that actual monasteries and convents have on this point: they are exempt from taxes by law and longstanding tradition. It's not clear that an institution lacking this advantage could really become economically self-suffici…

Colleges and universities are also exempt from taxation. Harvard University pays no tax on its endowment gains or property.

Re: Is it time to return to the medieval way of life on college campuses?

#28

Post by stcredzero »

granite_scones wrote: post #8

I think there's some merit to this proposal, but it's too riddled with an infatuation with a certain brand of Christian monasticism for me to separate out what is good and what is bad. "As we all know, for the virtuous student, college life has become a variation on The Temptation of Saint Anthony—a never-ending assault by the demons of gluttony, envy, sloth, lust, and pride." That's confusing "virtue" with something…

I agree there's a lot wrong with the current system, but it's not that students are having too much sex

From what I saw, it's not that students were having too much sex. It's the combination of a lot of undirected lost souls who are not committed so something substantive (like learning/research) with a pervasive atmosphere of bacchanalia. I saw people go through many emotional wringers in school.

Once again, we have some confusion between this weird form of self-denial with caring about education.

I agree. I think it's perfectly possible to have an atmosphere which is contemplative without going towards asceticism. What's really needed is a shift in emphasis.

the fact that a lot of research requires expensive equipment, something unaccounted for under this scheme

There's a lot of research and substantive work that doesn't require expensive equipment. For one thing, I would love some monasteries to become hosts for Google Summer of Code work.

Re: Is it time to return to the medieval way of life on college campuses?

#29

Post by NickPollard »

jonah wrote: post #16
wisty wrote: post #12

Why would anybody want to copy an education system that arguably set Europe back 1000 years?

Well, how about the one that preserved knowledge through the dark ages then?

Isn't a lot of modern academic opinion turning against the idea of any kind of significant 'dark age' actually having occurred in Europe?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dark_Ages

Re: Is it time to return to the medieval way of life on college campuses?

#30

Post by gjm11 »

prodigal_erik wrote: post #21
arethuza wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

One thing that the Cartasian maths did in Anathem was to effectively provide a civilization insurance policy by preserving knowledge, and a scientific mindset, through extended dark ages. In you look around and wonder what would happen if there was a general collapse of civil society you do have to wonder who and where the bodies of knowledge that we have collected over the last few thousand years would be preserved…

It reminds me of Hillis' observation that relics like the Dead Sea Scrolls are safe while lost but endangered by being found and put in a museum. http://longnow.org/essays/millennium-clock/

Well, of course the relics that we've discovered were safe while they were lost. Because otherwise we wouldn't have discovered them. That doesn't mean that being lost is safer than being in a museum. (Perhaps it is, but where's the evidence?)
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