Tuesday, July 24, 2018

David Masciotra — The American Conservative


Unusual to find praise for a radical "Ivy League" leftist in The American Conservative, but here it is.

In Defense of Howard Zinn David Masciotra

20 comments:

Matt Franko said...

Masciotra lives in Indiana, and teaches literature and political science courses“

Art degree person...

Noah Way said...

Franko, you don't have an arts degree so you're nor competent to talk about them.

Matt Franko said...

I’m just identifying them ... not discussing their “work” so called...

Tom Hickey said...

Is history a science or an art?

Matt Franko said...

I would think History is most often taught via an Art Degree program Tom...

Remember there are two things here, there is the Discipline and then there is the Degree program/methodology..

Matt Franko said...

https://www.investopedia.com/university/warren-buffett-biography/


“Warren graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Nebraska, Lincoln, after which he applied to Harvard Business School. After being rejected by Harvard, Warren matriculated at Columbia Business School, where he graduated in 1951 with a Master of Science in Economics.”

Science degrees....

Matt Franko said...

Good thing he got rejected by Harvard or he’d might have ended up like moron Summers or Bernanke ...

Anonymous said...

... history art or science?

Fiasco!

Tom Hickey said...

Matt, you are dealing with two fuzzy concepts here. The fact that they contradict common usage and don't have a technical use means that they are so ambiguous as to able to accommodate anything by shifting the boundaries a bit.

Is that "scientific"? I don't think so. And this seems to be involved what you are accusing "arts" people of doing.

You need some operational definitions so we can divide the world epistemologically in two camps. Then we can investigate how useful that dichotomy is by putting fields in their appropriate categories and can examine people curricula vitae to see where they fit.

Otherwise, it is gassing with "figures of speech," again what you accuse "arts" people of doing.

So let's have some technical definitions please.

But that would take time to think through thoroughly. Science is based on rigorous thinking.

Of course, if this just "heuristic thinking," let us know and we will treat it as such.

Tom Hickey said...

Grads of business schools with a BS or MS or PhD in management science are "scientists," while those graduating with a BS, MS, or PhD in a social science are artists?

You still haven't answered the question about whether all those with PhD's in any field are artists because they are awarded the degree of "doctor of philosophy." Unless, of course, you consider philosophy to "science."

Anyway, this is just word salad without technical definitions.

It lets you make it up as you go along.

Tom Hickey said...

BTW, until you provide a rigorous account that can be checked, I am just going to use the Reaganism, "There you go again."

Matt Franko said...

They are different degree programs Tom, here is another local one:

“We currently serve an undergraduate student population of 320 majors in four degree programs (B.S. Environmental Science, B.A. Environmental Studies, B.S. and B.A. in Geography)”


https://ges.umbc.edu

FOUR DEGREE PROGRAMS..... keyword being FOUR...


You can get EITHER a BS or a BA in Geography..... a. BA in Environmental Studies OR a BS in Environmental Science....

They all have different degree requirements.... different coursework.... different methodologies....

The people coming out of each of them have been trained differently.... and will approach things differently...

Matt Franko said...

“But that would take time to think through thoroughly. Science is based on rigorous thinking.”

I’ve already figured it out here Tom I’m good to go for now at the Fermi level ....I’m not in the academe I am a critic of the academe....

If someone in the academe as their job wants to fix this problem they can just call me if they want to know what is going on and I can get them up to speed pretty quickly...

Noah Way said...

Franko: by your own 'logic' (for lack of a better word) if you're not in the academe you are not materially competent to comment on the academe.

Matt Franko said...

“The fact that they contradict common usage and don't have a technical use”

They DO have technical use by people in the academe (Deans? Associate Deans?) who design the specific degree programs...


Look at Buffet he got a Science Degree in Econ from Nebraska then applied to Hahvahd and they didn’t take him because they do Econ via an Art Degree program... so he applied to Columbia and got in as they do it via a science degree program... same as Penn where Mike and Trump went...

Matt Franko said...

I’m not in the academe but I’ve been thru the academe ... BS and half an MS....

Also many REQUIRED Art electives in my degree program....

Matt Franko said...

https://lsa.umich.edu/lsa/academics/lsa-degrees/bachelor-of-arts-or-bachelor-of-science--a-b--b-s--.html

Matt Franko said...

“Bachelor of Science Eligibility

The difference between the A.B. and B.S. degree is that the B.S. degree requires 60 credits of approved courses in the physical and natural sciences and/or mathematics.”

Matt Franko said...

They can give me a call I’m in the book....

Tom Hickey said...

@ Matt

Regarding the above since my last comment, there you go again.