On Sat, May 26, 2012 at 12:08 PM, WereSpielChequers
<werespielchequers(a)gmail.com> wrote:
Even if we weren't in a recession, money is not an
unlimited resource. The
fair comparison is not between those in the class who pass and those who
fail to get the research grant; But between those who applied for the class
and those who applied for the grant.
I think that's another good comparison, but both seem fair to me!
Grant funding is a highly competitive selection process, but to even
"apply" suggests that a person is part of some "class" or
"pool" on
which the selection process runs. If you get a grant, then you're
part of another class altogether.
What I like about your formulation is that it points to efficiency.
If people can get a high-quality education and do high-quality
research at a fraction of the current cost, doesn't everyone win?
Including and especially those who did not meet (for whatever reason)
the threshold of "access" in the various selection processes running
within the current regime.
To paraphrase a famous saying: there is no one who likes to pay high
cost, just because it is a high cost, except sometimes the high cost
secures us some great pleasure!