Culture & Perception

[A. G. Maisey]

Ariel, I did not refer to "academic thinking", I referred to "academic function".

Pause a moment and you will realise that there is a gulf between these two concepts. Insofar as "academic function" is concerned the particular element of function to which I referred is just as likely to be encountered in the hard sciences as in the soft ones.

As you yourself would be well and truly aware there is a great deal of pressure placed on academics to publish:- "publish or perish". You know that as well as I do. So if publish one must, and one cannot find something new to publish about, one reviews past ideas, concepts, publications and revisits something that still has a bit of life left in it.

My remarks, and indeed my opinions, relating to some aspects of academia might better be thought of as cynical, rather than sarcastic or ironic. My cynicism has been generated by the fact that in my own family I number more than a few academics, amongst my close personal friends I can count a few more, and for many years I have assisted, let us say, "apprentice academics" in their attempts to enter a somewhat vicious calling.

However, having said all that, I do agree with your comments in respect of the so-called 'soft' fields of endeavour. I do quite a lot of reading in anthropology and related subjects, most especially as those subjects which relate to my own special interests, and sometimes I find myself very disappointed because of methodologies employed and conclusions reached --- and that is not even thinking about the demonstrable, outright, error.

But when all is said and done, I am not an integral part of academia, thus all of this is simply something that it amuses me to observe.

Forgive me, but I do feel that your reference to ethnicity and race have no part in anything that relates to my original comments. I reserve comment on your remarks in this context.