university
university
education is vital for those who wish to enter the professions, or make their way in government using talent alone. a good, well-trained brain is an excellent substitute for birth and social connections. a young gentleman’s studies can be wide ranging, and need not be tied to any particular faculty or subject area ╟ an awarded degree or doctorate is proof enough of intellectual achievement. historically, in europe at least, the established church contolled most universities, either through paying for them or by laws requiring the tutors to take holy orders. sir isaac newton was very unusual in that he didn’t take orders when he was appointed lucasian professor of mathematics at cambridge (a post currently held by stephen hawking), arguing that the post required the holder to spend time on science, not the anglican church. however, the requirement for teachers to accept church doctrine did mean that universities had a socially conservative outlook. while scholarships were aailable, students had to hae money to attend, reinforcing this conservatis. while wild, threatening ideas about the world and the way it worked did emerge from universities, the institutions were rarely radical or revolutionary breeding grounds
大学:
:对于那些希望成为学术泰斗或靠个人才华步入仕途的人而言，高等教育无疑是极为重要的：荣誉学位或博士头衔是个人智力成就的最佳证明，而一个接受过良好教育的头脑是显赫出身和社会关系的最好替代。与各种专科学校不同，大学摆脱了具体学科的束缚，令青年学子们得以博览群书，广纳诸子百家之言，深究天人之理。
至少在欧洲，古板陈腐的教会通过财政援助或指派大学教授兼任圣职的方式控制着绝大多数大学。不过，艾萨克 牛顿爵士在这一点上十分特殊：当他被聘为剑桥大学卢卡斯数学讲座教授（现任教授为斯蒂芬霍金）的时候，他并未担任任何圣职。牛顿坚持认为：这个职务的要求是任职者必须潜心研究科学，而非英国国教。尽管如此，由于大多数教授都接受教会的信条，大学内的风气十分保守。另外，虽然有机会获得奖学金，大学生还是要自行交纳绝大部分学费，为保守的学校教育买单。因此，虽然有时候疯狂,危险的想法的确会出现在大学中，但在绝大部分情况下，大学并不是一个激进或革命的地方。
