What if Universities had retained their independence from the secular authority, as defined by their original charters in the Middle Ages?

submitted by jerryk from self.Physics

sorted by:
top
newinsightfulfun
you are viewing a single comment's thread.

view the rest of the comments →

[–]Titanic 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (6 children)

Everyone must be EQUAL under the law, any policy that goes against this is UNAMERICAN. I don't care WHAT credentials or skin color or beliefs you have or where you go to school when you're bashing in an old lady's head and taking her purse.

[–]jerryk[S] 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (5 children)

OK. But, that means any oppressive government law constrains people at universities as much as anyone else, thus potentially restricting freedom of speech and experiment at universities.

[–]Titanic 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (4 children)

This is America. No oppressive government laws about speech here.

If you're a bri ish or whatever, then yeah sorry you're fucked. But maybe the problem is the GOVERNMENT for having such laws in the first place, not the colleges?

[–]jerryk[S] 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (3 children)

Government controls the purse strings though, and, that completely undermines any university independent research. In the middle ages, government was too decentralized for any control of funding to universities.

[–]Titanic 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (2 children)

government was too decentralized

They had a king and everything worked for the king and nobody had any rights to free speech or choosing their own leaders. If anything it was worse.

[–]jerryk[S] 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (1 child)

Mediaeval kings had very little power over their subjects, military technology didn't allow them to project their power, that's why feudalism became popular -- everyone was dependent and worked for their local lord, not the King. Effectively, Universities acted like local Monasteries, largely independent of any central authority.

[–]Titanic 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

Ok. Then sever the purse strings.

You want to give college students more rights than the common man. No, fuck that. I shouldn't have to pay for my ability to say what I fucking please