*looks at watch* I have roughly 50 hours in which to teach myself semiconductor physics and chemistry as it relates to photoresist development in order to give a presentation on said topic. 
Woohoo!
Anyway, reading Chapter 13 of Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance was quite an experience. The general idea is that there is a great distinction between actual education and the locations that supposedly facilitate it, namely that actual learning takes place in a state of mind independent of location and materials--even independent of instructor and student. Such concepts don't exist--only the desire for knowledge within all parties involved.
Persig calls universities "Churches of Reason," after an analogy concerning a closed-down church that had been turned into a bar. Apparently, people complained that "holy ground" was being desecrated by neon signs, drunks, and general bar revelry. A priest of the church formerly located in that building responded to the people, telling them that if they couldn't tell the difference between a set of walls and the ideals held up by the church, they need to seriously rethink their ideas of just what religion is. Similarly, a university is simply the grounds for learning--a place governed by beaurocracy, limited by funds, and run by people who may or may not have any passion for the process of learning.
Talking to one of the professors here about this yesterday made me re-realize something important to me. We branched off to discussing specialization, and how with all the information available, the more you pursue one endeavor, the more you fall out of touch with the others. There seems to be no room for the Pythagorus' or Aristotles of old, where all the sciences and philosophy were all under one umbrella. Interdisciplinary barriers have been erected, with universities as much to blame as anyone, that damn near prevent everyone from cross-field study and work.
I've virtually broken those barriers down in my own life, but it's been hell thus far. The world is losing so much potential by making it this difficult to do this. If it's within my power, I want to at least begin rectifying that on a large scale. Sure, "interdisciplinary committees" exist, but they're goddamned committees! They sit around and talk and never get anything done. They admit it themselves. They need a leader. Maybe I'm uncompromising enough to be one. Maybe not. But I'll be damned if I'm going to end up just another member of a committee.
Woohoo!
Anyway, reading Chapter 13 of Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance was quite an experience. The general idea is that there is a great distinction between actual education and the locations that supposedly facilitate it, namely that actual learning takes place in a state of mind independent of location and materials--even independent of instructor and student. Such concepts don't exist--only the desire for knowledge within all parties involved.
Persig calls universities "Churches of Reason," after an analogy concerning a closed-down church that had been turned into a bar. Apparently, people complained that "holy ground" was being desecrated by neon signs, drunks, and general bar revelry. A priest of the church formerly located in that building responded to the people, telling them that if they couldn't tell the difference between a set of walls and the ideals held up by the church, they need to seriously rethink their ideas of just what religion is. Similarly, a university is simply the grounds for learning--a place governed by beaurocracy, limited by funds, and run by people who may or may not have any passion for the process of learning.
Talking to one of the professors here about this yesterday made me re-realize something important to me. We branched off to discussing specialization, and how with all the information available, the more you pursue one endeavor, the more you fall out of touch with the others. There seems to be no room for the Pythagorus' or Aristotles of old, where all the sciences and philosophy were all under one umbrella. Interdisciplinary barriers have been erected, with universities as much to blame as anyone, that damn near prevent everyone from cross-field study and work.
I've virtually broken those barriers down in my own life, but it's been hell thus far. The world is losing so much potential by making it this difficult to do this. If it's within my power, I want to at least begin rectifying that on a large scale. Sure, "interdisciplinary committees" exist, but they're goddamned committees! They sit around and talk and never get anything done. They admit it themselves. They need a leader. Maybe I'm uncompromising enough to be one. Maybe not. But I'll be damned if I'm going to end up just another member of a committee.
VIEW 3 of 3 COMMENTS
mathmaddicts:
if you're interested in interdiscplinary work Paul Churchland and Patricia Churchland are pretty heavy into that stuff. Patricia does her work in something called nuerophilosophy.
daevric:
Sounds intriguing. I'll check them out over break.