Also, I want to suggest that academics play an important role in society as a force for stability and a mechanism for formulating an elite consensus. Humans are weird creatures who wouldn't respect academics to play such a high status role if they weren't awarded markers of high status (tenure substitutes for massive pay).
Also, I want to suggest that academics play an important role in society as a force for stability and a mechanism for formulating an elite consensus. Humans are weird creatures who wouldn't respect academics to play such a high status role if they weren't awarded markers of high status (tenure substitutes for massive pay).
In other words yes, we may be paying them to sit around and sound erudite but that has value.
Sure, but two issues: First, most professors could have been paid very well in the private sector so you need to give commensurate compensation. I doubt many public and many private universities would be willing to pay google style salaries to their CS profs etc so they instead compensate them in job security.
Also, we do want many of them to do research etc. Now if the bar is super easy to clear for continued employment it doesn't offer much -- if any -- benefit. Indeed, it likely floods journals with really crappy papers spit out to meet pro-forma requirements.
Ok, what if we use more robust evaluation. But now you have the problem tenure was designed to fix. Everyone stays to narrow safe research that never has a chance of discovering new paradigms and certainly doesn't challenge sacred cows.
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Realistically, there are better rules that differ from department to department but once you give up the notion of a shared tenure system no one would trust that reasonable rules would be implemented.
Also, I want to suggest that academics play an important role in society as a force for stability and a mechanism for formulating an elite consensus. Humans are weird creatures who wouldn't respect academics to play such a high status role if they weren't awarded markers of high status (tenure substitutes for massive pay).
In other words yes, we may be paying them to sit around and sound erudite but that has value.
Could we not use them for that purpose, while still being able to fire them for underperformance? (and presumably not for having unpopular views)?
Sure, but two issues: First, most professors could have been paid very well in the private sector so you need to give commensurate compensation. I doubt many public and many private universities would be willing to pay google style salaries to their CS profs etc so they instead compensate them in job security.
Also, we do want many of them to do research etc. Now if the bar is super easy to clear for continued employment it doesn't offer much -- if any -- benefit. Indeed, it likely floods journals with really crappy papers spit out to meet pro-forma requirements.
Ok, what if we use more robust evaluation. But now you have the problem tenure was designed to fix. Everyone stays to narrow safe research that never has a chance of discovering new paradigms and certainly doesn't challenge sacred cows.
--
Realistically, there are better rules that differ from department to department but once you give up the notion of a shared tenure system no one would trust that reasonable rules would be implemented.