Why Today’s Universities Don’t Care About Plagiarism: An Interview with Ben Bayer

In this episode of New Ideal Live, Ben Bayer is interviewed by Ziemowit Gowin about his article on the phenomenon of academic plagiarism following the resignation of Harvard University president, Claudine Gay. They discuss why academia’s greater interest in combating issues such as sexism and racism over academic dishonesty is consistent with their deeper view of morality.
Among the topics covered:
· Bayer's personal experience combating student plagiarism as a former professor;
· How the morality of altruism creates an indifference to academic dishonesty;
· How plagiarists cheat themselves of the value of knowing and living in reality;
· How altruism prevents us from seeing how plagiarists harm those they deceive;
· Why we need moral virtues, like honesty, for achieving personal values in life;
· How academic plagiarism relates to the deeper topic of individual value creation.
Recommended in this podcast are Bayer’s “The Real Problem with Plagiarism,” (quillette.com/2024/05/08/the-...) “Why Scientific Progress in Ethics Is Frozen,” (newideal.aynrand.org/why-scie...) and “The Old Morality of the New Religions,” (newideal.aynrand.org/the-old-...) and the Ayn Rand Lexicon’s entry on “Honesty.” (courses.aynrand.org/lexicon/h...)
The podcast was recorded on May 16, 2024.
0:00:00 Introduction
0:01:30 Bayer’s personal experience
0:08:35 Altruism and indifference to dishonesty
0:22:22 Plagiarists cheat themselves
0:29:11 Altruism and victims of plagiarism
0:38:29 Why we need moral virtues
0:42:45 Plagiarism and individual value creation

[@diegomorales8616]

The elephant in the room is the connection between academic integrity and intellectual property. If pirating is OK, then so is copying.

[@RollingTree2]

Excellent illumination/calarification of morality, primacy of self, practical basis, and the derivatives re others! Always a good sign when presentations provide slightly different/deeper/clearer framing of ideas that leave me realizing I need to ponder more what I thought I had firmly organized. Ben Bayer is moving up my list of thinkers/educators to reference.

[@lisayakobi1117]

Brilliant insights!

[@geekonomist]

A student learning about the differences of squares equaling a rectangle cannot know the power of this before learning of the rule a2 - b2 = (a-b)(a+b). Only then can they do 33x31 easily. So this whole idea that "what ever is being taught will not serve in my career" is complete hogwash.

[@bobhir]

fixed it for you "Today’s Universities Don’t Care"

[@thedoctor26]

Trump should arrive half an hour late, and go over his time every once in an every single question. The drugs’ll wear off eventually, and then trump can go for the linguistic killshot - the oratorical equivalent of rope-a-dope.

[@ProLansPl]

maybe the modern academia shouldn't be so much paper-focused then, eh? maybe paper spamming is a bit outdated?
1. can copy one's writing
2. can outsource one's writing
3. can have AI doing all the boring bits
...and you're crying about "dishonesty"?
it's a bit like crying people choose to go by car rather than on foot