Harpur, John (2006) Cultivating Campus Citizens, the Economy and Technology: On the New Alchemy in Higher Education. In: What Price the University? Perspectives on the Meaning and Value of Higher Education from the National University of Ireland, Maynooth. National University of Ireland Maynooth, Maynooth, Ireland, pp. 117-138. ISBN 0901519766

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Abstract

Writing philosophically about the purposes and values of higher education is a delicate process and problematic to boot. No amount of admiration can conceal the present funding concerns of higher education institutions. Some facts of the matter require acknowledgment, though more in the interests of common sense than peace of mind. Throughout the developed world higher education funding is under increasing scrutiny. Administrations have responded by examining models of reform and transformation to preserve their institutions. These models are giving rise to a ‘change agenda’ promoting greater efficiency (reform) and novel configurations of disciplines (transform). Changes across the sector are deconstructing ancient academic divisions. There is uncertainty about what will be different in the aftermath of change. Merely arguing against change, in the expectation that it will be convincingly deflected, is a Sisyphean task. The range of interests with attachments to the sector makes pursuing such arguments a tantalizing undertaking. Presumably, a subset of the interest groups, de facto a power elite, would prefer any debate to remain superficial. This concern is an irrelevancy philosophically speaking. The business of philosophical analysis is not propaganda.

Item Type:	Book Section
Additional Information:	A Special Issue of Maynooth Philosophical Papers.
Keywords:	maynooth; university; meaning and value of higher education; higher education; price; campus citizens; economy; technology; new alchemy; higher education; education;
Academic Unit:	Faculty of Science and Engineering > Computer Science
Item ID:	9923
Depositing User:	IR Editor
Date Deposited:	14 Sep 2018 10:03
Publisher:	National University of Ireland Maynooth
Refereed:	Yes
URI:
Use Licence:	This item is available under a Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial Share Alike Licence (CC BY-NC-SA). Details of this licence are available here

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