From:
Daniel@boothco.com Daniel@boothco.com
Thank you, Prof. Lian, for your quotes from Moliere's "Le Malade Imaginaire"
and your points about getting approval for novel research. I think your post
should take a prize for literacy and humor.
Charles, please circulate more whimsy and wisdom as we face a new year at
our
corporate and academic universities.
With appreciation,
Daniel
Daniel J. Booth, Ed.D.
CEO & Chairman
The Booth Company & Clark Wilson Group
4900 Nautilus Ct. N, Suite 220
Boulder, Colorado 80301
ph1: 800.332.6684
ph2: 303.581.1408
Fax: 303.581.9326
www.720Feedback.com
Date: Fri, 20 Aug 2004 07:47:02 -0500
From: Professor Andrew Lian
andrew.lian@ANDREWLIAN.COM =20
Subject: Re: the need and proof for theories in learning and e-learning
artefacts
Dear George and others,
A quick comment - could not resist.
In the e-mail below you make the following point:
>thank you for your point and I am quite interesting to see evoloving
comments. Don't worry, I also doubt if I ever get the PhD because my
thoughts are far 'too exotic' to my supervisor :-(
It is always difficult to bring new ideas into a world where dominant =
ideas
and theories rule. After all there is a reason why they are dominant.
Exoticism is often frowned upon even if well argued. It is of course a
hugely political and politicised game controlled by various gate-keepers =
who
will decide whether or not, and how, to allow you recognition from the
academy which they represent. The situation is clearly recognised in
Moli=E8re's Le Malade Imaginaire in the 17th century where in order to =
be
admitted to the rank of (medical) doctor, the aspirant to the title had =
to
answer many questions from the academy assembled about how he (it was =
always
he then) would cure a long list of diseases. The answer was always the =
same
in Latin doggerel:
Clysterium donare,
Postea seignare,
Ensuitta purgare.
(Give an enema, then bleed the patient (i.e. take blood) and then give a
laxative).
The academy would then respond:
Bene, bene, bene, bene respondere.
Dignus, dignus est entrare
In nostro docto corpore.
(You have answered well, you are worthy of entering into our =
knowledgeable
body/organisation/corporation- actually much stronger but cannot =
translate
but you can see the word doctor in it) - play the game and you're in!
=85.
And.... not all thesis supervisors react badly to exoticism (you just =
have
to be in the right place) - so there is still some hope for us all :-)
Ciao
Andrew Lian
Dr Andrew Lian
Professor of Humanities
Director, Center for the Study of Languages Rice University, 6100 Main =
St,
Houston, Texas, 77005, USA
ph: +1 713 348-5913, fax: +1 713 348-5846
e-mail:
lian@rice.edu or
Andrew.Lian@andrewlian.com What's the point =
of
calling yourself a scholar if all you do is quote others?
http://www.andrewlian.com=20
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End of MG-ED-DV Digest - 22 Aug 2004 to 23 Aug 2004 (#2004-119)
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