Nick, my own reaction to the "Friends of Wisdom" identity is less than
enthusiastic. First off, for the Internet, linkage is critical, and
not many viewers seek "wisdom" in Google. Of course, key words may
appear subsequently in the content, but terms like "philosophy" and
"value" probably will introduce more viewers than "wisdom."
More importantly, perhaps, my first impression of "Friends of Wisdom"
is "warm and fuzzy--New Age mysticism." The "Friends of..." phrase
recalls the sort of good causes for which you Brits are so well known.
I recall seeing a bronze tablet in some English garden memorializing a
deceased gentleman, "...because he loved Spirea." I suppose you have a
"Friends of Spirea" club over there.
The real thrust of the movement, as I understand it, is to increase
engagment of the university with common issues, particularly those that
may be addressed by public policy. As you know, this is on the one
hand a reason for my hesitancy about the proposal, having been
suffiently involved in such efforts to know the negative as well as
positive aspects. I would prefer devotion to more general public
education than to endorsement of particular political positions
regarding specific issues.
"Wisdom" seems less a public virtue than a private one. We visualize
the wise seer alone on his mountain top, speculating about
transcendental questions. I'm not sure the term conveys a less passive
endeavor. Perhaps something more apt might be: "Universities and the
World," or even "Universal Universities." The acronym "U.U." rings
nicely.
Paul
On Oct 11, 2005, at 5:17 AM, Nicholas Maxwell wrote:
> www.nick-maxwell.demon.co.uk
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