Stanley Fish on university fees

[AuldAlliance]

There is an interesting article in the NYT by Stanley Fish on the crude logic behind student fees.

here

[purits]

"the recommendations of the Browne report ... implemented by a government that seemed to welcome them and, some suspect, mandated them."

Can I remind everyone that the Browne Review was set up by New Labour / Mandelson.

[granted]

Great article - thanks for posting.

I especially liked this bit:

"At the end of the report, the authors congratulate themselves: ?We have never lost sight of the value of learning to students, nor the significant contribution of higher education to the quality of life in a civilized society.? A first response to this declaration might be to describe it as either a lie or a joke. There is no recognition in the report at all of the value of learning; quality is a measure nowhere referenced; civilization, as far as one can see, will have to take care of itself .

But at second thought this paean of self-praise is merited once we remember that that the report?s relentless monetization of everything in sight has redefined its every word: value now means return on the dollar; quality of life now means the number of cars or houses you can buy; a civilized society is a society where the material goods a society offers can be enjoyed by more people. "

Sadly, there are people on this forum who see life in the same incredibly limited way. :(

[sieglinde]

Thanks for posting this article. Fish is right.