39 Questions about the decline
of education and government
in the Netherlands

·         ME in Amsterdam (nearly all in Dutch)                     see also: Spiegeloog-columns (in Dutch and English)

39 Questions about the decline of education and government in Holland

1. Is it not true that Wittgenstein says somewhere that it must be possible to write a philosophical treatise that consists only of questions? (The answer is: Yes.)

2. And is it not true that the most direct and practical questions about philosophy and, more generally, science and civilization, are questions about the level and quality of education in philosophy and science - because the level and qualitity of civilization in a society strongly depends on the qualities of the education that society produces?

3. For is it not also true that a modern society in which education on average is bad; in which the universities and schools are bad; or where what is taught is not science but political ideology - is a society that is slowlu but surely poisoning itself?

4. Is it not true that the Holland is in this position since the Mammoetwet and WUB? [1]

5. And is it not true that bad or mediocre universities and preparatory schools not only amount to the slow but sure suicide of civilisation, but also amounts to personal injustice to all students whose birthright to a good education in accordance with their personal talents has been stolen from them?

6. Is it not true that in Holland since 20 years quasi-academic diplomas are handed to quasi-intellectuals in the soft science - quasi-intellectuals, moreover, that then do occupy real functions, in which they may decide about the possibilities and chances of their personell and their clients, and are not quasi but really highly paid for?

7. Is it not true that a society that rewards, protects and maintains incompetence thereby gets poisoned - as surely as nature is poisoned by environmental poisoning?

8. And is it not also true that both kinds of poisoning exist and continue to exist because those with an interest in them ... have an interest in this? And bevaise it turns out to be wholly fruitless and ineffective to criticize any civil servant, however lazy, however impolite, however incompetent, because in Holland everybody with a public function, whether as a civil servant or a politician, is protected by similar collaborating most honorable dear colleagues of precisely the same kind?

9. And is it not also true that in Holland actual factual personal responsibility does not exist anymore for any higher political or bureaucratic function i.a. because such functions are handed out to and divided between personal friends, members of parliament, incompetent secretaries of state, trade union officials, and other politically organized parasites, and that the one parasite - in the sense of: morally irresponsible; intellectually incompetent; and motivated by personal greed for money and status - always protects any other parasite?

10. And is it not also true that in Holland there is hardly any morally and intellectual competent politician, governor or high civil servant one can honestly name - with as the virtually unique exception of a decent, competent and Dutch politician the hundred years old Drees? [2]

11. Is is not true that in ALL of the University of Amsterdam there are no enthousiastic, inspiring, teachers with good Dutch? Is it not true that it is very uncommon in the University of Amsterdam to find courses and teachers who offer good and clear written summaries of their courses and teachings?

12. Is it not true that the vast majortity of the books that are used are simply bad? [3]

13. Is it not true that almost none of the professors and lectures have protested the past 20 years against the politicizing of science and education in the University of Amsterdam; or against the ruinous state of the courses offered after the B.A.; or against the systematic giving of advantages, perks and subsidied to the members of what are in fact very small very fanatic student activists (e.g. by giving their leaders (M/F) automatical academic jobs and advantages as a matter of course?).

14. Is it not true that in the University of Amsterdam the majority of the scientific staff, at least in the social and literary faculties, are intellectually hardly qualified; do not do any scientific research of high quality; and in fact are hardly interested in their trade and proportionally concerned with their salaries? [4]

15. Is it not also true that in the University of Amsterdam, certainly in the so-called social and literary sciences, and because of the ruins made of pre-university school-education, the vast majority of the students is not qualified for and in any case hardly interested in great parts of the science they are supposed to study, but only partake of because they desire to make a career with an M.A. degree of some kind?

16. Is it not true that the professors and lecturers in the university have been saying since 20 years that their personal qualities cannot be assessed objectively?

17. And is it not true that they do not say so because this is true, but in order to prevent that their total lack of relevant qualities comes to light?

18. For isn't it true that only were there are no qualities these qualities cannot be assessed?

19. Is it not true that since 20 years a large amount of the education in the social and literary faculties in the Dutch universities in fact are political ideology, and political prejudice presented as if it were real science?

20. Is it not also true that since 20 years in many faculties highly paid professors and lectures have ben claiming - as I have heard many tens of times in the faculties of philosophy and of psychology - that "everybody knows that truth does not exist"; that "objective science is an illusion"; and that "rational thinking is not morally justified"?

21. Is it not true that these are totalitarian ideas, that were formulated and propounded especially to help leftiist politicking, but that these can as well serve to argue that it is not true that 6 million jews were murdered in the Second World War, or that Adolf Hitler was a great humanitarian genius - for "everybody knows that truth does not exist"; that "objective science is an illusion"; and that "(human) qualities cannot be assessed objectively"?

22. Is it not true that it has been now for 20 years the actual priority in the University of Amsterdam in the social and literary faculties to propound and teach this manner of totalitarian political ideology - indeed in fact in aid of the leftist, so-called humanitarian, aims and theories, but just as well capable of being used for any other kind of totalitarian delusion?

23. Is it not true that IF the - always cowardly, always dishonest, always hypocritical - Dutch politicians or bureaucrats raise a tip of the veil that covers the Augian stables they maintain, this only happens when they leave office - if they already have been effectively promoted to an even better -paying veiled Augian stable, the salary of which also does not stink at all... until the next promotiom?

24. And is it not true that this dedicated silence explains a lot about collaboration in the Second World War?

25. Is it not true that part of the reason for what is really the ruins that are the University of Amsterdam, once an autonamous university, dedicated to science and civilisation, but now degenerated to a pretentious, sick n-th rate college-like institution, is that this has been cause by 20 years of incompetent Boards of Directors - persons who were mostly Dutch Labour politicos without the least real interest in science or education, who were in fact (whatever their hypocritical public stances about their motives) mainly motivated by greed for money and power?

26. Is it not true that at least during the last 15 years there has been no proper financial reporting whatsoever in the University of Amsterdam?

27. Is it not true that incompetent members of the Board of Directors, who have been diagnosed as such by the University Parliament, have been pensioned off with honors and nearly a million in bonus?

28. Is it not true that in the period 1980-1985 60 million guilders have "disappeared" (45 million in the university itself, 15 million in the foundation that was supposed to obtain students houses for the money?)

29. Is it not true that this money disappeared because the Board of Directors has been incompetent the last 20 years; because there has not been any effective personal responsibility whatsoever; and because everyone knows that the Ministry of Education anyway will pump half a billion into the university?

30. Is it not true that in the University of Amsterdam the real subject is not the public hypocritical poses about educatiom or indeed political ideology, but that this is in fact nothing else but on moral and intellectual incompetence based hyporcisies, greed and parasitism?

31. Is it not true that the once again upcoming elections for the University Parliament are exclusively and only a means to get the ASVA- and PP-fractions elected and to give the Board of Directors a quasi-democratical legitimation of their enduring position of power and their continuous incompetence and parasitism?

32. Is is not true that in the University of Amsterdam one can only elect the one or the other powergreedy parasite without the least real interest in science or educatiom, who is moved only by political fanaticism or by monetary greed and an easy career?

33. Is is not true that a great part of the non-academic staff of the university, compared with what is usual in ordinary firms, hardly works at all?

34. Is is not true that a great part of the leftist political ideas that have been so popular in the University of Amsterdam were especially popular NOT because their proponents had any real ethical motivation, but only because it provided all concerned, that is everyone with a job in the University of Amsterdam, almost totally unrestricted freedom to do nothing and to have no personal responsibility at all - because according to these leftist political ideas "everybody is equal" while "all decisions must be fullu democratised"?

35. And was this - apart from all the beautiful talk - in practice nothing but an open and standing invitation plus legitimation of parasitism, doing nothing at all, behaving shoddily, being lazy, talking hypocritically, and protection of political ideology masquerading as if it were real science fit for being taught at the universities?

36. Is it not true that science is both the cultural and economical foundation of our society, because we all live and eat thanks to the technologies we owe to centuries of scientific research, and because scientific methods of reasoning are our omly means to adequately explain and understand reality, and to rationally criticize nonsensical political ideologies, derailed religious faiths, and other forms of supersition?

37. Is it not true that the quality of our economy, and the welfare we can expect from it, is directly propportional to the quality of scientific education - because our economy is based on scientific technologies?

38. And is it not true that the quality of our civilisation, and the welfare and wellbeing - humane attitudes, tolerance, in short: reasonable action based on realisable plans - is directly propportional to the quality of the scientific educational institutions - because our civilisation is based on norms of rational reasoning and reasonable action that are for the most part scientific or owing to scientific norms and principles?

39. And is it not true that science and good scientific education, rational thinking and reasonable acting, are of the greatest importance for mankind and for human civilisation - and that in the University of Amsterdam science and the education in science have been ruined and corrupted; rational thinking has been trivialized ans destroyed; and reasonable acting exists only in a hypopcritical travesty?

The reply was to the effect that I was scolded for a "fascist" and a "terrorist", and in consequence I was removed from the study of philosophy briefly before being able to take my M.A. in it.

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