The Critic Magazine

29 February 2024

The March issue of The Critic magazine uncovers the extent of Britain’s crisis on campus. Edward Skidelsky explains why contrarian thinking has become dangerous for academics’ career prospects. David Butterfield and James Orr examine how power has shifted from the scholars to the administrators and what this means for intellectual life, and Marcus Walker discovers why theological colleges are out of favour even with the Church of England. Also, Michael Lind finds fault with the research university model, and Sebastian Milbank unpicks the scandal of overseas students being offered lower grades than home students and backdoor entry into British universities — and why this financial model is a Ponzi scheme being stretched to the brink of collapse. Also in the March issue of The Critic, Patrick Porter points out the fallacy in the claim that Britain has successfully transitioned to becoming a global “soft power” leader, Barendina Smedley celebrates the art of Eric Ravilious, Alasdair Palmer admires Orvieto pottery, Sarah Ditum identifies Justin Timberlake’s dilemma and Michael Henderson shares his top racing tips for the Cheltenham Festival. All this and the sharpest reviews on contemporary literature, the arts, gastronomy, fashion, and sport.