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"One of the reasons academic infighting is so vicious is that the stakes are so small" - Kissinger
by mathattack 12y ago
"One of the reasons academic infighting is so vicious is that the stakes are so small" - Kissinger
- saraid216 12y agoHe's not wrong, but he's not right either. The stakes aren't so much small as they're impossible to wrap your head around. They tend to be something like, "understanding something we don't even know exists yet". Compared to something like global politics, where a stake is often at least quantifiable ("1 country", "500 million children", etc.), it does help explain the viciousness: it's not clear what's lost when there's a casualty.
- mathattack 12y agoI've seen academics fight harder for a new filing cabinet than bankers for a 500K bonus.