Could the Arabian peninsula awake from its long medieval slumber? Perhaps so! An optimistic sign is the serious thought and great resources being put behind a new university in Saudi Arabia: KAUST. The King Abdullah University of Science and Technology starts with a laudable burst of optimism and good intentions for world service and the advancement of knowledge, in a video vision statement. World-class academics and universities are lending a hand in starting up KAUST. The real test of a Saudi Arabian university will be whether it promotes advances in science and the frontiers of fundamental knowledge , rather than simply training engineers for industry. We can be optimistic about this new university.
Archive for the ‘knowledge as a value’ Category
A new great university?
Posted in current events, future visions, knowledge as a value on March 29, 2008| Leave a Comment »
Does knowledge diminish beauty?
Posted in art and aesthetics, inspiration, knowledge as a value, tagged aesthetics, science on February 17, 2008| Leave a Comment »
Science as an aesthetic spoilsport:
“Arcturus” is his other name –
I’d rather call him “Star.”
It’s very mean of Science
To go and interfere!I pull a flower from the woods –
A monster with a glass
Computes the stamens in a breath
And has her in a “class”!
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– Emily Dickinson (full text here)
Or consider this example: (more…)
The Cogniverse 