Abstract
Salient features of the university today indicate a lack of thinking. The paper seeks to understand this in the light of the proximity of thought to language. Reflection on the plurality of language leads to questions concerning the interrelations between thinking, language, and belonging, and these matters are further contextualised in relation to contemporary concerns with internationalisation. These are examined critically in relation to ideas of Martin Heidegger and a recent work by Barbara Cassin. A contemporary worked example is provided, where issues of belonging and propriety come to the fore. This lays the way for exploration of the wider ramifications of these matters in relation to English for academic purposes. Problems relating to the dominance of English and the nature of the language are acknowledged, including the ways in which English is related to social advancement. Finally, some suggestions are made for improving thinking in the university today.
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Debased notions of criteria have detached the idea from its ordinary context and given it a technical gloss. Human practices are unintelligible unless they are characterised by criteria (of what it is to do something appropriately, better or worse), but the technical usage has displaced this ordinary sense.
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For a thought-provoking account of objections, see Emma Williams (2016).
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Arendt was a student of Heidegger’s, and over the course of many years they had an intimate relationship.
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Suzy Harris is thanked for comments on this paper.
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Yun, S., Standish, P. (2018). Technicising Thought: English and the Internationalisation of the University. In: Bengtsen, S., Barnett, R. (eds) The Thinking University. Debating Higher Education: Philosophical Perspectives, vol 1. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-77667-5_9
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