Knowledge for the Global Common Good

Knowledge for the Global Common Good Patrick Blessinger and Enakshi Sengupta Since the dawn of the Industrial and Democratic Revolutions (circa 1800 CE), the impact of human activity on the planet has accelerated and the human species has become, for better and worse, the dominant influence affecting life on planet Earth. In some ways (for example, major decreases in illiteracy, poverty, child mortality), the world has become significantly better off since the dawn of these revolutions. In other ways (for example, major increases in mass carbon emissions and deforestation), the world has become worse off over the course of these revolutions. The development of the sustainable development goals is aimed at addressing these deficiencies. Within this historical context, and within the more modern context of globalization and the development of the sustainable development goals, the world has also emerged into a global knowledge society where access to much of the [...]

Towards higher education in service of humanity

Towards higher education in service of humanity Patrick Blessinger and Mandla Makhanya St. John's University (NYC), USA and University of South Africa The growing importance of education at all levels and the inclusion of more stakeholders in the educational enterprise has sparked debate about the fundamental nature and purpose of higher education (that is, what type of good is education?). Traditionally, viewed from an economic perspective, higher education has been treated largely as a public good. Since the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights was adopted in 1948, this public good view has been reinforced by the view that education is also a human right. These factors, together with the increased demand for higher education to meet the economic development needs of the post-World War II economies, resulted in a huge increase in government support for higher education. This factor further solidified the notion of higher education as a public good. However, [...]

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