DRAFT… DRAFT… DARFT…
9:50 AM: Economic Weblogging, and the Promise and Peril of New Modes and Orders in Education:
- Chair: ???, 9:50-9:52
- Speaker: Clay Shirky, 9:52-10:08
- Discussant: Ben Wildavsky, 10:07-10:15
- General discussion, 10:15-10:40
DRAFT INTRO: Higher education in the west was born at the start of the second millennium, as popes recognized that they needed more theologians and ecclesiastical bureaucrats and emperors recognized that they needed more judges. It was born in an environment in which books were incredibly costly—better to get everybody together in one room so they could take notes while somebody, the lector, read the book aloud in a lecture.
Higher education underwent its first Christiansenian disruption in the fifteenth century with Gutenberg.
The universities changed, and they survived, and they did more than survive--the coming of the printed book did not disintermediate the university but instead gave it and its faculty leverage.
It may well face its second Christensenian disruption today.
As Tyler Cowen, who with Alex Tabarrok is too busy attempting to do the disruption with Marginal Revolution University to join us today, tweeted last January: “Blogs already teach more people economics than Principles of Economics courses do.”
Here with us today to tell us where they think the curve of New Modes and Orders in education will take us--so that we can figure out how to get ahead of it-we have Clay Shirky from New York University, with discussant Ben Wildavsky from here at the Kauffman Foundation.
Emperor Friedrich II "Stupor Mundi" Hohenstauffen: Licterae Generalis of 1224:
Given at Syracuse, 5 June 1224:
Friedrich, Emperor, King of the Romans, King of Jerusalem, King of the Two Sicilies, Duke of Lombardy etc., to all the archbishops, bishops, priests, counts, barons, judges, executors of justice, bailiffs, and all other imperial and royal authorities:
With the favor of God, thanks to Whom we live and reign, and to Whom we attribute all good deeds done by us, we wish that in all parts of our rule many will become wise and knowledgeable by having access to a fountain of knowledge and a seminary of doctrine, so that they, made proficient by study and observation, will serve divine justice and will become useful to us for the administration of justice and of the laws, which we urge everyone to obey.
We have therefore decided that in the most pleasant city of Naples there should be teaching of the arts and of all disciplines, so that those who are starved for knowledge will find it in our own kingdom, and will not be forced in their search for knowledge to become pilgrims and to beg in foreign lands.
We intend to provide for the good of those of our subjects who… become learned… the acquisition of what is good cannot be sterile… will be followed by nobility, the halls of the tribunals, wealth, and the grace and favors of friendship…. [W]ithout doubt we will entrust them with the administration of justice once they have become able to do so.
Therefore be happy and ready for the teachings that scholars desire.
We will allow you to live in a place where everything is in abundance, where homes are spacious, where the customs are affable, and where one can easily transport by sea or land what is necessary to life. We offer all useful things… look for teachers… offer prizes…. We will protect them from the dangers of brigands….
Among the teachers that we have assigned to the School we have Roffredo of Benevento, a faithful judge, Professor of Civil Law, a man of great science and proven loyalty.
We order therefore all of you… to let all these things be known… to command, at peril of persons and goods, that no student will dare leave the Kingdom for reasons of study… to order… students… outside the Kingdom to return here by the Feast of St Michael….
[T]here will be doctors and teachers in every Faculty. We assure the students… [the] best houses will be given to them… their rent will be at most two ounces of gold… [set by a panel of] by two citizens and two students. There will be loans given to students… [secured by their] books… [but security] will not be requested by the creditor as long as the students remains in school….
As for grain meat, fish wine and other things that students need, we will not make any rule since the province has all these things in abundance and all will be sold to students as it is to citizens.
We invite students to this laudable and great task, we… [will] keep these promises… honor [their] persons, and… order universally that [they] should be honored by all
