Academia—A Road to …..?

Philosophy Presenting the Seven Liberal Arts to Boethius (1460-70, Henri de Vulcop)

'Once a scholar is elevated by status into the academic ‘priesthood’, rather than through innate merit and wisdom—arrogance replaces humility, dogma replaces challenge, and apathy replaces thirst. Their ‘qualified’ ego tells them their learning is done, they know best, their intellectual authority is absolute—they forget the joys of learning, of challenge, and the interminable quest for empathy.’ [Mark Montgomery]

We are currently undertaking our fifth trawl through academia, pleading for objective evaluation of our archaeological investigation. This latest search for support is directed at the governance of thirty-eight UK university institutions, offering post graduate studies in medieval history, rather than individuals within academic-led institution.

Academic evaluation is deemed essential by the heritage sector, providing authoritative authentication so that the church and bells can find appropriate new keepers and revised conservation planning. Astonishingly, we can find no universally recognised scholars/experts in the field of our investigation, despite over a hundred years of academic study. Thus, it is academia’s appraisal of the methodology, referencing, discussion, interpretation, and critical evaluation of prior opinion measured against our presented fact that is the essential route to authentication.

Considering the substantial reveal in terms of medieval history, in a subject that has so far escaped scholarly focus—a reveal that opens the door to further enquiry and understanding, and that will potentially bring millions of pounds into the Scottish and UK economy, increasing its historic repute and ignite public interest in the past, there is little excuse to dismiss our request for the pain of a few hours of objective scholarly consideration.

However, following four years of academic avoidance and bias against the evidence, truth and logic we offer, within an institutional environment of reluctance to audit its own understanding; especially that formed by Victorian superficial notion rather than research, should we expect to receive munificent objective scholarly review, backed up with supportable informed, evidenced and referenced opinion?

The forthcoming article will frame the actions of academia, not in context of its intellectual acuity but how it chooses to apply it. We will discuss, in relation to the academic behaviour we have experienced to date, using our case as graphic illustration (to be either supported or challenged by our latest petition), whether academia acts in mutual benefit, in terms of advanced learning, the pursuit of understanding, knowledge, real-world skill setting—leading from it predictable wisdom within the general populace, workforce, administration and governance of society (the original medieval purpose of academic study).

We will consider whether historical study and understanding has remained true to its original objective and inclusive intent, pioneered in the nineteenth century by the likes of Leopold von Ranke’s comprehensive consideration of all historical narrative; with reliance on evidenced and supportable source material, not on prior superficial and unresearched speculation, or academic 'rationalization' based on status of the narrator rather than the demonstrable merit of their understanding.

We will debate the argument, again in context of our discovery and experience, does academia promote deliberate, harmful intellectual parochialism, generating a real loss in terms of historical understanding and record, and the reputation and deprivation to any sense of inclusive historical understanding, and in this case, the nation’s economy and repute. Such a ‘lose-lose’ concept is undeniably stupid—contributing to the question, what real value does academic consideration of history bring in the third millennium, other than the furtherance of its own vanity and purse, or through subjective bias and revision of history, the ills of divisive and destructive societal attitudes and philosophies, both religious and secular, both ideological and political?

[Full article to follow]