Akeel Bilgrami and Rosalind Morris in Panel Discussion on Future of Scholarly Knowledge

October 13-14, 2016

Theresa Lang Student and Community Center, 55 W. 13th St, NY, NY

The Future of Scholarly Knowledge: Principles, Pressures, and Prospects — 35th Social Research Conference

What is twenty-first-century “scholarly knowledge”—and why do we care? Is there a place in contemporary society for pure research and intellectual investigation or must all research and education prove its worth?

In the mid-twentieth century, pure science needed no defense. The role of research universities in the decades following WW II was clear. The “Ivory Tower” depended heavily on public funding, private philanthropy, and university donors who did not question its importance.

Times have changed. Trust in the academy and pure scholarship has eroded. Private gain wrestles with public good, and demands for accountability—cost-benefit analysis in the form of jobs, products, and competition on an international scale—are now the norm.

What does the future hold for scholarly knowledge and the people and institutions that traditionally produced it?

DAY 2:  Friday, October 14th; SESSION II:  10 AM – 12:00 PM — THE HUMANITIES

Rosalind C. Morris, Professor of Anthropology and Director of Graduate Studies, Columbia University

Akeel Bilgrami, Sidney Morgenbesser Professor of Philosophy, Committee on Global Thought and Director, South Asian Institute, Columbia University

Alan Ryan, Former Warden of New College, University of Oxford

Moderator: James E. Miller, Professor of Politics and Liberal Studies and Special Advisor to Provost; The New School for Social Research

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