It's All Academic

For those of you prone to decry the state of contemporary academia, there may be hope. All you have to do is wait a little longer, and the long-haired, sandal wearing, communist doktoratura (I made that word up) will be shuffling off to retirement. Apparently to be replaced by younger and less lefty (presumably more righty) fake-uhl-tee. If not righty, at least more mid-dull.

To my way of thinking, academia is plagued by a vast mediocrity of thought, passing itself off as original and provocative while they are actually merely floating with the subcultural drift. Simply because they wave their arms alot, they think they are swimming against the current.

Meanwhile, those among us with a greater bias toward action have gone into other pursuits where they actually do things rather than merely meditate, write and lecture about them. In this group I include engineers, soldiers, and business people (or if you prefer older labels, craftsmen, warriors and merchants). Ultimately, it's those groups that provide the support that makes academics possible. They will always whip the long hairs into line eventually.

One mistake that academics make is to think that that Craftsmen, Warriors and Merchants don't think. They think, but they harness thinking to a practical purpose, rather than elevate it for it's own sake.

After all, what is thinking for?

Read what the NY Times has to say here.