I will be waiting for that good read, Neil. On Feb 15, 6:25 pm, archytas <[email protected]> wrote: > I was OK with the university scene until 1995/6 - that's when fees > came in and we started recruiting masses of foreign students and > dropped real entry qualifications more or less to ability to mist the > mirror. It would be OK if the qualifications and experience really > did something for most students, but for most it means debt problems > and most would benefit lot more doing a degree at 25 +. The key > stats are that the only students who really benefit financially are > already from well-off families and the lack of really skilled jobs in > the economy. We could have moved to a model much more involved with > industry, but instead the way funding worked made it impossible to > keep up he work we already did in that area - really good work project > based qualifications were replaced by classroom taught programmes. I > obtained several million in research/project funding but saw most of > it wasted. At least in this new line of work no one gets stuck with > the debt bill. I have to requalify as my assessor certificate has > lapsed - I'm half-way through and pretty dreadful! Even on this > course I've noticed about half my fellow students have been taken on > without enough experience to get assessing jobs. I've already been > offered work and once I'm up and running Sue will do the course - the > thinking is that we would be able to do a day a week each after we > retire to fund some travelling. > It's not teaching that proved the problem for me Allan - more the > difficulty in doing what was right for students - I'd be quite happy > doing lab work with some. Thanks for the kind words Molly - if I'm > honest what I'd really like a crack at would be the banksters and > crooked politicians. Rigs has me right in this respect. I must tidy > up the novel so I can send you guys a copy. > > On Feb 11, 12:49 pm, Molly <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > > > > > > There is a much to be admired in your willingness to let go of the > > seeming crap and move into opportunities that seem to have more > > value. I use the word seem because, for me, it is always a leap of > > faith and I am rarely sure. Your recognition of the opportunities > > around you is also encouraging. I am with rigs, I doubt if your days > > will ever be uninteresting. You do seem to find it. > > > On Feb 10, 7:11 pm, archytas <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > I'm doing the assignments for my assessor certificate this week (mine > > > lapsed)- the course is hopeless but I need the ticket. The purpose is > > > to get work I feel is less of a rip-off than university teaching. We > > > muddle along! > > > > On Feb 10, 9:12 pm, Molly <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > > Agreed. > > > > > On Febng1:29 am, archytas <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > > > I have noticed, over the years, that much 'purpose' is something else > > > > > - seemingly fabricated - as in mission statements as bad as higher > > > > > education institutions 'being about' providing high quality > > > > > educational experiences - something one could hardly think of as > > > > > differentiating one from another. In practice we seem to be limited > > > > > to making the same old mistakes with statements of purpose connected > > > > > with fantasy. We might do better to think more in terms of > > > > > structuring opportunities to nurture each other. > > > > > > On 10 Feb, 15:30, Molly <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > > > > I think purpose is relevant to us, until it is not, like cause and > > > > > > effect is important until, it is not. > > > > > > > On Feb 9, 10:42 pm, archytas <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > > > > > That seems about right ID10. The world is perspectival - all > > > > > > > sorts of > > > > > > > stuff is justified from this perspective and that - many societies > > > > > > > have lived with slavery justified and so on. All of us are > > > > > > > brought up > > > > > > > to believe one parochial set of beliefs or another. There seems > > > > > > > to > > > > > > > have been a time before human perspective. I think science has > > > > > > > more > > > > > > > or less told us our purpose is to develop technology to leave the > > > > > > > planet - but this is purpose limited by assumptions it's better to > > > > > > > survive than not. It leaves open wider questions of purpose that > > > > > > > we > > > > > > > might gather along the way or give up on. I'm not keen on purpose > > > > > > > gained from religious faith or faith in one's country - we all > > > > > > > turn > > > > > > > out to have lots to be ashamed of in these respects. I'm fairly > > > > > > > sure > > > > > > > no that human purpose is now largely irrelevant and our future > > > > > > > lies in > > > > > > > machine life. > > > > > > > . > > > > > > > > On Feb 9, 11:31 am, "[email protected]" > > > > > > > > <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > > > > > Does the concept of purpose apply to species lower than humans > > > > > > > > or only to humans? If it does apply then at what level does it > > > > > > > > stop, sheep, fish, plans? And in case it stops at some level or > > > > > > > > ronly applies to humans is this definition based on the species > > > > > > > > having a spirit or a soul as some body may suggest, or is it > > > > > > > > based on having a certain level of consciousness? If it's based > > > > > > > > on the concept of a spirit or a soul then it's a matter of > > > > > > > > metaphysics and faith. If it's based on consciousness and we > > > > > > > > are talking in terms of the physical universe in which we live, > > > > > > > > then by definition purpose would be an invention of the human > > > > > > > > mind and it would be a matter of definition and how we view the > > > > > > > > world and view ourselves in it but it would be anything but a > > > > > > > > universal metaphysical thing on which we all could agree > > > > > > > > especially that it would look entirely different in the eyes of > > > > > > > > a more advanced species than our selves.
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