We are developing the social individualist meta-context for the future. From the very serious to the extremely frivolous... lets see what is on the mind of the Samizdata people.

Samizdata, derived from Samizdat /n. - a system of clandestine publication of banned literature in the USSR [Russ.,= self-publishing house]

Samizdata quote of the day

Some years back, I decided I had to quit the teaching profession to which I had dedicated half my life. The modern academy, I felt, was so far gone that restoration was no longer possible. Indeed, I now believe that complete collapse is the only hope for the future, but as Woody Allen said about death, I’d rather not be there when it happens.

David Solway

11 comments to Samizdata quote of the day

  • Nicholas (Unlicenced Joker) Gray

    Probably a good time for libertarians to offer complete courses over the Internet-thingy! Maybe all schooling will be home-schooling one day soon

  • Fred Z

    Teaching is not a profession, so Mr. Solway started off badly.

  • Flubber

    Probably a good time for libertarians to offer complete courses over the Internet-thingy!

    Jordan Peterson in Canada is doing exactly that.

    https://jordanbpeterson.com/

  • RRS

    I suggest gaining familiarity with the learning approach being tested by Sal Kahn in CA. of the USA, which now has extensive financial backing and widely proven results.

    You can follow his presentations of this shift in learning approach on YouTube and check out the marvelous work on Kahn Academy.

    Google for the link.

  • K

    The schools may be ruled by the fascists, but it’s still a great place to subvert the youth. Perhaps you should have stayed and worked under cover?

  • Mr Black

    I recently had to add to my engineering credentials and the senior consulting engineer who was running the course for the university had been fully converted to leftist SJW orthodoxy. He was in no way activist about it, he just treated it as fact. This is someone who has consulted for pretty much every big name company in the country over the last 20 years and has an outstanding professional reputation, I hate to think what the new breed is learning.

  • jamesg

    I see that Bryan Caplan’s The Case Against Education is finally about to be published in the new year.

  • The schools may be ruled by the fascists, but it’s still a great place to subvert the youth. Perhaps you should have stayed and worked under cover? (K, December 19, 2017 at 5:23 am)

    Being under cover is not the life-style for everyone. Hollywood, universities and schools have such people, but there are others who, for virtuous reasons, could not last a term. The quotee lasted for “half my life”, so it seems he gave being increasingly under cover a fair try.

    Since complete collapse will be preceded (is being preceded?) by Sarah Hoyt’s “Roll Left and Die” manoeuvre, I quite see why he would rather not be there while it happens.

  • Similar comments might be made about Universities, but I couldn’t possibly comment myself.

  • Paul Marks

    I agree with David Solway on all points in this quotation.

    The difficulty is how to get rid of one’self – so not to be about during the collapse (not just in the “education system” – generally).

    After all, to take myself as an example, I would be better off dead – but the process of killing myself and disposing of the body and so on is really difficult and messy. It is a hard problem to solve. I suppose I lack the courage to do what needs to be done.

  • Patrick Crozier

    “SJW-infested institutions have to be burnt to the ground.” As someone once said.