Hacker News new | ask | show | jobs
by local_yokel 2971 days ago
How is cheating only an issue in academia? It shows a lack of ethics and a lack of knowledge on the part of the student, and these are things that are quite important to being able to do a good job in the real world.

You say "the current system is stupid", "academia is an artificial world", and "past projects and word of mouth" are what matters. Past projects and word of mouth are both systems that are ripe for manipulation by having the right social / marketing skills. Coincidentally, you can also appropriate other people's work and pass it off as your own, perhaps without getting caught. I think I'm beginning to understand why you value these highly.
1 comments
eecsninja 2971 days ago
I agree about the lack of ethics, but that's something to be screened by future employers or school admissions.

I don't disagree with schools having penalties for cheating. But on the moral severity scale, it's really an infraction rather than a felony. Would you call jaywalkers bad people?

If you want to see why I have such a disdain for academia, here's my story: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16726402

link
your-nanny 2970 days ago
I wouldn't hire you. Attitudes matter. Trust matters. No way would I hire you, given the views you express.
link
eecsninja 2970 days ago
Nice name. I probably wouldn't want to work for you anyway.
link
figgis 2970 days ago
You cheating to acquire a degree that says you have learned x information devalues that degree for everyone else that has it. That is nothing like crossing the street where you aren't supposed too.
link
darkkindness 2970 days ago
> "2. We only think it is a moral issue because it's been drilled into us since we were kids, and that we think it is not fair to those who don't cheat and devalues the value of their degree."

Perhaps GP's point was that since degrees don't actually correlate with 'you have learned x information', degrees don't inherently have value in the first place?

link
always_good 2970 days ago
Nonsense. Degrees show that you ran the gauntlet. I don't think confer anything more. Cheating cheapens that.

I think they are projecting their own disillusionment after they themself realized the degree doesn't represent knowledge or whatever personal meaning they had attached to it.

link
JumpCrisscross 2970 days ago
> that's something to be screened by future employers or school admissions

Like, by flagging cheaters and those who facilitate them. You're complaining about the disease as well as the cure.

link