Comments on: Columbia Professor Mark Taylor’s Revolutionary Solutions For Higher Education http://collegeisforsuckers.com/2009/04/columbia-professor-mark-taylors-revolutionary-solutions-for-higher-eduation/ The FIRST College Guide You Should Read Thu, 02 Sep 2010 19:27:26 -0700 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.6 hourly 1 By: Clint http://collegeisforsuckers.com/2009/04/columbia-professor-mark-taylors-revolutionary-solutions-for-higher-eduation/comment-page-1/#comment-1226 Clint Thu, 25 Jun 2009 22:25:03 +0000 http://collegeisforsuckers.com/?p=222#comment-1226 I agree with your sentiment when you say that: "I"m not saying that we shouldn't study subjects that benefit us individually. But perhaps, as a whole, we should continue to include more updated, problem-solving programs and procedures so we do not fall into to an academic rut." The university is a human-created system, and it should be designed to bring us the most benefit possible. Creating networked departments oriented toward problem solving could be a really good way to bring more benefit. But I think Taylor, while he has good intentions and a solid diagnosis, sullies his prescriptions with the ideology of the free market. The university isn't simply a factory that needs to be more efficient. I think abolishing departments, tenure and other such things would have a bad effect on open inquiry. I wrote a longer reaction here: http://www.whyweworry.com/blog/2009/06/25/restructuring-humanities/ I agree with your sentiment when you say that:
“I”m not saying that we shouldn’t study subjects that benefit us individually. But perhaps, as a whole, we should continue to include more updated, problem-solving programs and procedures so we do not fall into to an academic rut.”

The university is a human-created system, and it should be designed to bring us the most benefit possible. Creating networked departments oriented toward problem solving could be a really good way to bring more benefit.

But I think Taylor, while he has good intentions and a solid diagnosis, sullies his prescriptions with the ideology of the free market. The university isn’t simply a factory that needs to be more efficient. I think abolishing departments, tenure and other such things would have a bad effect on open inquiry.

I wrote a longer reaction here:

http://www.whyweworry.com/blog/2009/06/25/restructuring-humanities/

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