Dear Nick,

Thanks for sharing this, and fully agree with your statement; I saw the following article last week and thought it was very interesting in relating examples of challenge-driven universities, and the virtues therein:

http://www.nesta.org.uk/2016-predictions/challenge-driven-universities

It also references the UN Sustainable Development Goals, which I mentioned in a previous email as perhaps being fertile ground for exploring how universities could (and should) really impact upon these important issues, challenges and goals.

Have a great weekend everyone,

Will

A very good - and alarming – article by Julian Borger in today’s Guardian (8 January) about the growing threat of nuclear disaster.  It prompted me to send off the following letter to The Guardian:-

If we continue to keep nuclear weapons, sooner or later they will be used, as a result of an escalating crisis, an accident, a miscalculation or a cyber attack.  And, as Julian Borger makes abundantly clear, the risk is increasing (Threat of nuclear disaster returns, 8 January).  Instead of renewing Trident, Britain would be far better off getting rid of its nuclear deterrent and becoming a leader in the campaign to rid the world of the menace of nuclear weapons kept ready to be unleashed.  How might this become politically possible?  The Tories won’t help.  One despairs of Labour educating the public on the dangers we face.  If our universities were genuinely devoted to pursuing the interests of humanity, they would actively engage in the task of public education about the risks we face – but universities seek knowledge (or business) not public good.  For over 40 years I have called for a revolution in academia so that it comes to devote reason to the task of helping humanity learn how to make progress towards a better world.  Every year that passes, the urgency of the need for humanity to have institutions of learning rationally devoted to helping us create a wiser world becomes ever more apparent.  Our very survival may be at stake.

Best wishes,

Nick Maxwell

Science and Technology Studies, University College London

Website: www.ucl.ac.uk/from-knowledge-to-wisdom
Publications online: http://philpapers.org/profile/17092
http://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/view/people/ANMAX22.date.html