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Source link: http://blog.mises.org/4709/this-time-summers-has-gone-too-far/

This Time, Summers Has Gone Too Far

February 20, 2006 by

No wonder the President of Harvard is being canned for politically incorrect comments. Here is the latest story, as related by an ex-dean: “Summers suggested that some funds should be moved from a sociology program to the Kennedy School, home to many economists and political scientists. ‘President Summers asked me, didn’t I agree that, in general, economists are smarter than political scientists, and political scientists are smarter than sociologists?’”

{ 8 comments }

Pete Canning February 20, 2006 at 6:26 pm

A fairly reasonable rule of thumb, it would seem.

Ronald February 20, 2006 at 8:08 pm

A former administrator under Summers attacks him? That’s about as exciting as dog bites man. Let’s keep in mind that the administrators and faculty at Harvard are still quivering with rage at the suggesting that there may–just might possbly, worth investigating, maybe???–be differences between boys and girls. Their credibility in my book is hovers between zero and nil.

Ironman February 20, 2006 at 11:21 pm

The evidence suggests that sociologists and political scientists are pretty closely matched in the smarts category. No word on where economists fit in….

Keith February 21, 2006 at 8:15 am

Wasn’t Keynes an economist?

D. Saul Weiner February 21, 2006 at 10:59 am

Keynes was an economist and, whatever his shortcomings, is considered a man of intelligence. This suggests to me that intelligence may be a necessary, though not a sufficient, condition for a professor who will ultimately make a beneficial contribution to our knowledge base.

Kristian Joensen February 21, 2006 at 2:41 pm

Keynes wasn’t an economist he was a Mathematician.

anarkhos February 21, 2006 at 10:14 pm

Let’s not confuse ‘smart’ with anything useful. These people teach instead of do, remember?

If something isn’t in any way useful, why should it receive funding? No wonder we have to strain for other qualifiers like ‘smart’.

Dave Thomas laughs…

Keith February 22, 2006 at 8:51 am

Sounds like the difference between knowledge and wisdom. (I think that’s from Star Wars.)

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