tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1462488453822156883.post58537366390023495..comments2024-03-28T16:48:18.088+11:00Comments on loon pond: In which Western Civilisation is saved, and Dame Slap shows how to be a damned good bigot ...Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1462488453822156883.post-889475032426814182019-02-14T08:46:46.196+11:002019-02-14T08:46:46.196+11:00Oh go on, Virginia isn't so bad, though Simone...Oh go on, Virginia isn't so bad, though Simone might be a tad over-rated. But how to leave out Betty Friedan and Douglas Hofstadter ? Not to mention Kuhn and, above all, Ian Stewart. And perhaps even just a passing mention of Goedel ?GrueBleennoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1462488453822156883.post-79892254543235090332019-02-14T07:42:04.283+11:002019-02-14T07:42:04.283+11:00Virginia Woolf? Germaine Greer? El oh el. Virginia Woolf? Germaine Greer? El oh el. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1462488453822156883.post-24320778432420359092019-02-14T05:27:16.247+11:002019-02-14T05:27:16.247+11:00Well of course you'd be a Flanders and Swann m...Well of course you'd be a Flanders and Swann man.<br /><br />But never mind who studies Philosophy 201 these days, who is there to teach it ? The world isn't exactly awash with descendants - biological or philosophical - of Kant, Hegel, Frege, Russell and the early Wittgenstein.<br /><br />Oh, maybe they could get Jordan Peterson - he'd certainly satisfy all of Howard's and Abbott's expectations.GrueBleennoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1462488453822156883.post-70216347589007580112019-02-13T23:59:35.042+11:002019-02-13T23:59:35.042+11:00So what is newsworthy about this Ramsay thing anyw...So what is newsworthy about this Ramsay thing anyway, that has the reptiles huffling with excitement? I had a bit of a look at the current UoW Arts course, and I reckon I could cobble together a legit BA using existing subjects to cover exactly the same (well, generally a bit broader) material. Class sizes might be a bit bigger, but not much, because lets face who studies Ancient History or Philosophy 201, anyway?<br /><br />The only thing missing is a bit of Ramsay "vibe", which could be rectified by a rousing chorus, at the beginning of each class, of the Flanders and Swann classic <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EdY1Y5XNJBY" rel="nofollow"><i>Song of Patriotic Prejudice</i></a>:<br /><br /><i>The English, the English, the English are best,<br />I wouldn't give tuppence for all of the rest!</i>FrankDnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1462488453822156883.post-64756346943446219562019-02-13T13:24:00.154+11:002019-02-13T13:24:00.154+11:00The Reptile editorialist re Wollongong-Ramsay: &q...The Reptile editorialist re Wollongong-Ramsay: "<i>The degree's foundation subjects, The Great Conversation and Aesthetics, will also cover "great achievements of non-Western cultures and traditions", exploring how "the ideas, ideals, artworks and practices of non-Western cultures and civilisations influenced and overlapped with those of their Western counterparts</i>"."<br /><br />Well, just amazing. That description actually covers a lot of the totally obvious criticisms made of the original Ramsay "curriculum" outline.<br /><br />And your point, DP: "<i>All the years of struggle for this? Not a jot or whit of difference with dozens of other courses, and hundreds of other units that could already be found in universities across the land?</i>"<br /><br />Exactly. To make the whole pile of rubbish acceptable, even to Wollongong, they've had to make it a standard uni offering. So the only thing Ramsayesque about it is "the Socratic method" of teaching - and that'll work a treat, won't it.<br /><br />But then we have the editorialist again: "...<i>majors will be offered in specialities as diverse as archaeology and ancient history, English literature, philosophy, politics, indigenous studies, international relations and global sustainable development</i>."<br /><br />And still not one single mention of the glue which built our world and holds it together: mathematics. Maybe it will get a passing mention in the "The rise of western science" component - if that actually goes on for more than one class day - but I kinda doubt it.<br /><br />And now, moving right along to Dame Slap we have: "... <i>a vote for the Greens -- primary or preference -- is a vote for bigotry</i>."<br /><br />And your sharp response, DP: "<i>There it is, in that last sentence, the entire point of the smear, worthy of a MAGA cap wearer</i>". Yes, she really is a sad sack altogether, isn't she. But what a superbly universal principle: if I don't accept your invite to a meal then I'm a "bigot" ? I wonder just how many invites to Labor, or Greens (or even Democrats in their day), or Hanson One Nation or whatever she hasn't accepted - and how many kinds of "bigot" that makes her.<br /><br />But then I'm not sure I'd accept an invite to a Semitic meal fest - I don't think I wholeheartedly approve of Kosher/Halal modes of meat slaughter. Maybe if it was a wholely vegetarian menu ?GrueBleennoreply@blogger.com