Social science perspectives on climate change and development

José Ortega y Gasset, in his magnificent work “Mission of the University,” launches a devastating critique: the hyper-specialized professional, incapable of understanding the world beyond their discipline, is the new barbarian of the 20th century. They know how to operate but not how to think; they build machines but do not understand history or the meaning of their time. By abandoning its deepest mission, the university has produced brilliant but culturally blind and barbaric technicians. The authentic mission of the university, Ortega tells us, is not only to teach professions nor to promote scientific research; it is, above all, to transmit culture—that vital system of ideas that allows human beings to orient themselves, understand their era, and live with meaning. When this foundational task is lost, the university ceases to form people and begins to manufacture functional automatons. Consider the specific case of the engineer who builds a hydroelectric plant that is technically perfect but floods indigenous villages, destroying ancient cultures. Is that progress? Ortega would say it is not barbarism with a university degree. Therefore, the university should not limit itself to teaching how to do; it should teach how to understand, to judge, to think about the present from its historical perspective, but rather, it should shape thought. Obedience and a society full of efficient, obedient individuals is the fertile ground for all forms of decadence. In short, the University must be purged of culture, profession, and science—in that order—to avoid a society of uncultured specialists incapable of leading collective life. Source: Metodología de Investigación- Tesis https://cifaic.pe