Your Thomas North hypothesis is well thought out and your arguments are very convincing. However, I don't think your Trump Derangement Syndrome postings add to your credibility.
As may not surprise you, I do get quite a few messages making a similar point. But I also get a few who say that they want more current-events/political stuff as I've already proved the case with North/Shakespeare. I can assure you the majority of posts, especially over the next few months will be on Shakespeare.
I think I'm going to soon write a post on this--about some of the understandable frustrations of Trump-supporters and how certain universities/ institutions deserve criticism. I think it's possible you may like it--though the conclusion will be, "Yes, there's a lot of bathwater there, but you can't throw out the babies."
1. The intake of students has expanded to include far more of the population. In the UK it went from 3.4% in 1950 to 53.4% in 2019. This has reduced the quality of the education and the value of being a graduate.
2. NGOs and special interests have been taking the long march through the institutions for so long that it’s a toss up as to whether the main advantage for the establishment is the increased money and power, or the extra years to firmly establish double-plus goodthink in the sheep.
3. Mass higher education is dysgenic in that the effect is to reduce the birth rate in the women with the highest IQ. It’s something Spandrell once said of Singapore. He called it an IQ shedder in that it draws in the smartest and best for the highest wages, but also leads to catastrophically low levels of TFR (cram school prices, long hours, and hypergamy). Higher education as it exists today acts similarly.
4. Many students are not even doing the coursework but are using Chat GPT.
Your Thomas North hypothesis is well thought out and your arguments are very convincing. However, I don't think your Trump Derangement Syndrome postings add to your credibility.
As may not surprise you, I do get quite a few messages making a similar point. But I also get a few who say that they want more current-events/political stuff as I've already proved the case with North/Shakespeare. I can assure you the majority of posts, especially over the next few months will be on Shakespeare.
Shakespeare / North is offering lessons for our times. He’s perennial.
This is the same corrupt and inbred academic establishment that doesn’t want to hear your excellent points about Sir Thomas North.
Defund them and be damned to them.
I think I'm going to soon write a post on this--about some of the understandable frustrations of Trump-supporters and how certain universities/ institutions deserve criticism. I think it's possible you may like it--though the conclusion will be, "Yes, there's a lot of bathwater there, but you can't throw out the babies."
Here are my problems with higher education.
1. The intake of students has expanded to include far more of the population. In the UK it went from 3.4% in 1950 to 53.4% in 2019. This has reduced the quality of the education and the value of being a graduate.
2. NGOs and special interests have been taking the long march through the institutions for so long that it’s a toss up as to whether the main advantage for the establishment is the increased money and power, or the extra years to firmly establish double-plus goodthink in the sheep.
3. Mass higher education is dysgenic in that the effect is to reduce the birth rate in the women with the highest IQ. It’s something Spandrell once said of Singapore. He called it an IQ shedder in that it draws in the smartest and best for the highest wages, but also leads to catastrophically low levels of TFR (cram school prices, long hours, and hypergamy). Higher education as it exists today acts similarly.
4. Many students are not even doing the coursework but are using Chat GPT.
https://x.com/antigonejournal/status/1917665812569067801?s=46
5. In many fields, academics, regulatory authorities and publishers are corrupted by financial and political considerations.