the market

Great discussion over on Thicket about academia and the market. And no, I'm not an academic, so don't accuse me of liking his position because it directly benefits me. It doesn't.

For what it's worth, I posted the following shortly after launching this blog. It's a bit heavy-handed, but I still subscribe to basic position I tried to articulate. The idea is that some things should be protected, at least to some degree, from market forces, because the market -- as far as "cultural" commodities are concerned -- is basically just a cultural feedback loop and cannot, therefore, raise the level of cultural discourse.

free market feedback loop

Any instutition which serves to increase the level of education or cultural literacy of (i.e., "enlighten" for lack of a better word) a society should never be exposed to market forces. Implicit in the nature of enlightenment is that only those who are already at least a little bit enlightened will seek to further their own enlightment. And even the already-enlightened must sometimes be poked, prodded, provoked further down the path.

Consumerist market forces respond primarily to base needs, desires and drives. While niche markets for those seeking cultural enlightenment may emerge, the market as a whole will never secure enlightenment for society as a whole because society does not realize that it needs enlightenment.