Comments on: Becker, Posner and the Purpose of the University http://www.concurringopinions.com/archives/2006/02/becker_posner_a.html The Law, the Universe, and Everything Sat, 20 Mar 2010 00:24:59 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: geoff manne http://www.concurringopinions.com/archives/2006/02/becker_posner_a.html/comment-page-1#comment-60254 geoff manne Mon, 27 Feb 2006 19:45:33 +0000 http://www.solove.org/archives/2006/02/becker-posner-and-the-purpose-of-the-university.html#comment-60254 You might be interested in <a href="http://www.truthonthemarket.com/2006/02/22/whose-university-is-it/ " rel="nofollow">my comments along similar lines from last week</a> over at TOTM. You might be interested in my comments along similar lines from last week over at TOTM.

]]> By: John Armstrong http://www.concurringopinions.com/archives/2006/02/becker_posner_a.html/comment-page-1#comment-60253 John Armstrong Mon, 27 Feb 2006 05:20:43 +0000 http://www.solove.org/archives/2006/02/becker-posner-and-the-purpose-of-the-university.html#comment-60253 Full disclosure: I <i>am</i> an academic -- one of the "intellectuals" Posner disparages -- and at an East coast liberal bastion, no less. Which is why I argue in support of Summers on the basis of what a university (and "The University" in general) should do: encourage open-minded investigation and academic inquiry of all stripes. Summers asked a perfectly valid question that, as far as I've been able to tell even from within the very fields he was talking about, has been given almost no attention. To even suggest that a question is inappropriate is anathema to the true goals of the university, as I see them. Full disclosure: I am an academic — one of the “intellectuals” Posner disparages — and at an East coast liberal bastion, no less.

Which is why I argue in support of Summers on the basis of what a university (and “The University” in general) should do: encourage open-minded investigation and academic inquiry of all stripes. Summers asked a perfectly valid question that, as far as I’ve been able to tell even from within the very fields he was talking about, has been given almost no attention. To even suggest that a question is inappropriate is anathema to the true goals of the university, as I see them.

]]> By: Matt http://www.concurringopinions.com/archives/2006/02/becker_posner_a.html/comment-page-1#comment-60252 Matt Mon, 27 Feb 2006 04:44:07 +0000 http://www.solove.org/archives/2006/02/becker-posner-and-the-purpose-of-the-university.html#comment-60252 Another fairly obvious reason why more foreign students come to study at American graduate schools than Americans go abroad is that a much higher percentage of college graduates in, say, France or Germany (to use Becker's example) have sufficent English skills to do graduate work than do American college graduates for work in foreign languages. Another fairly obvious reason why more foreign students come to study at American graduate schools than Americans go abroad is that a much higher percentage of college graduates in, say, France or Germany (to use Becker’s example) have sufficent English skills to do graduate work than do American college graduates for work in foreign languages.

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