Re: <nettime> Latin as revolutionary act?

[James Wallbank <james@lowtech.org>]

Ave Nettimers,

This thread identifies one of the key weaknesses that's proven to be a 
fatal vulnerability of the former United Kingdom. (Sorry to bring it 
back to one particular nation - but it's a rather preoccupying issue to 
be living in a failing state.)
Education relates to power. We, as artists and activists who have 
engaged with technology, work on the assumption that gaining 
technological skills and critical insights, we can better operate in the 
world, and thus add value and empower ourselves.
This embodies a very straightforward understanding of the purpose of 
education - that it has a direct bearing on what you can understand, 
what you can imagine, and thus what you can do.
There is another purpose for education, (whether self- or institutional 
education) as a signal of status. This is how Latin and obscure 
classical education is used in British politics. How does a knowledge of 
Ancient Greek, or Latin, or some obscure ancient texts help one to make 
sensible strategic decisions in an industrialised and technological 
society? It doesn't!
But what it does do is to signal that you are from a special class of 
people to be respected and deferred to.
Many members of the British public (ignorant serfs that they are) are 
suckers for this sort of snake-oil. I fully expect the international, 
and highly educated and critical audience for this list to be immune to 
such signalling, and far more prepared to examine, critically, the 
content of communications, however they are expressed.
"Latin as a revolutionary act" is simply a response of outsiders, late 
in the game (about a thousand years late) to take on the symbolic 
status-signalling of their oppressors, instead of challenging it as 
bullshit. Resist it!
Vale.

James

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