Fauci is on his book tour, doing the rounds with media outlets in support of his self-congratulatory exploration of the pandemic. In an interview with “CBS Mornings,” Fauci explained that maybe keeping schools closed for years was a bad idea.
Did Fauci Admit That School Closures Were a Mistake? Read More
Could it be that if we were to take a bit more time to reflect on the inherent resourcefulness of our offspring as children of God, we might worry a little less about ensuring that they become cogs in our culture’s clearly sputtering machine of material “success” and thus be less inclined to cede before the “Drug him or else he’ll never be a success” entreaties of ostensibly well-meaning authorities?
The administrative class – at all levels, in all organizations – portrays itself as indispensable. Nothing would get done without the smooth operation of the internal mechanics of a company, a government agency, any group you care to mention. Tasks must be performed, memos sent, regulations and procedures codified.
For all my Covid writing, I probably don’t do enough to publicize the heroes of our freedom movement or the victories “our side” has achieved. One group that’s clearly made a profound difference – and saved countless lives – is the organization No College Mandates, co-founded by a former California lawyer, Lucia Sinatra.
In the last four years we have seen an astonishing rise in censorship, as in other forms of bullying and coercion, inside and outside the academy, even from governments and state agencies. We can’t reverse that by regret. We can only reverse it by acts of resistance. The first antidote to censorship is bold speech and consistent action. Of that, Patrick Provost has provided an admirable example that we ought all to follow.
The mindset has over the past several decades coalesced into a religion of sorts. It has its tenets that are now taken on faith and condemns anyone who questions them or commits acts of “heresy.” And, something of which you must be aware is that the “true believers” see any challengers as heretics and are willing to ruthlessly suppress or cancel with bad recommendations, direct attacks on employment, sanctioning through exercises of administrative power, etc. I do think that there is some growing pushback but we will need to see its development.
People we’ve been led to believe are “learned” are actually shockingly ignorant (or plain evil). But these people will still be leading these organizations tomorrow and 10 years from today. I didn’t know this knowledge would cause me to have recurring nightmares, but it has. My dream’s definitely telling me to write about this, which I’ve now done. Maybe I’ll now get a peaceful night’s sleep.
The most alarming aspect of the contemporary scene may actually not be things like the horrific potential of nuclear and biological weapons. Instead, it could be the rejection of objective truth and rational thought as essential guides to sensible conduct. When even the sciences and medicine become unmoored from reason and reality, we are all in serious trouble.
The very “experts” and administrators who admonished critics with endless appeals to authority, claiming that they were “following the science” while detractors were “anti-science” extremists, likely caused a net harm to thousands, if not millions of their students.
The Covid catastrophe did immense damage to medical care, much of it the result of gross mismanagement at the highest levels of the industry. Those just entering it must be treated with renewed respect and consideration if they are to correct the mistakes of their predecessors. Ending this injustice is an excellent place to start.
Will artificial intelligence become the greatest boon to higher education since online learning? (This assumes that online learning was a boon, which is a topic for another day.) Or will it mean the utter destruction of academia as we know it? Those are the two views I see expressed most often these days, with various individuals I respect taking opposite sides.
The push to force everyone into higher education has proven to be a massive diversion of financial and human energy, and, just like Schumpeter predicted, it did the cause of freedom no favors. It has only ended up breeding debt, resentment, and an imbalance of human resources such that the people with real power are the same people least likely to possess the necessary skills to make life better. Indeed they are making it worse.
