Ritið : tímarit Hugvísindastofnunar - 01.05.2009, Page 36

VILHJÁLMUR ÁRNASON
cratic emdronment which fosters informed pubhc opinion. In a sniall society
where the media is weak, the contribution of academics can be of particular
importance. Often, academics alone have the knowledge which is necessary to
analyze the issues, place them in a sensible context and reveal distorting state-
ments. This I relate to the vision of the university, to crirical thinking, and to the
requirement of value-freedom which imphes that academics must be vigilant
about how scientific knowledge is used in society. In that regard, academics must
particularly be alert about the commerciaHzation of education, accompanied by
subtle powers which undermine the academic ethos. I discuss the dangers of a
performance appraisal system which restricts research motivation to ISI publica-
tions and may reduce chdc awareness and increase social alienarion of academics.
Finally, I argue that the contribution of human scientists to public discussion is
unique in the sense that it is more than other sciences directly related to spiritual
life of the nation in the broad sense. Since the Icelandic narion primarily faces a
spiritual predicament, the contribution of the human sciences can be crucial. This
means that, contrary to recent tendencies, the humanities must recognize their
role as normatively grounded moral sciences.
Keywords: critical thinking, public awareness, public debate, vision of the univer-
sity, value-freedom
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