Editorial

Abstract

What do you think about these statements? - Research is more important than teaching - Veterinary clinical research is more important than basic research - Academic freedom is an anachronism Of course you do not agree, certainly not with all of them, and one or the other may even have irritated you. Bumper sticker one-liners like these do not only seduce the modest mind. In the Netherlands, a political murder was their indirect consequence, when an environmental/animal rights activist assassinated the populist Pim Fortuyn. This politician s tactics were to reduce complex political issues to commandments the man in the street would comprehend, by removing any modifier and nuance. Generalizations seem to have this effect inducing a mental patellar reflex, causing an instant agree/reject reaction before rational analysis kicks in. Only then and only in some does introspection begin. The pros and cons are weighed, pondered, judged. Emotions reign even where one would expect analysis, insight and wisdom. I start to wonder when I read that President George Bush is angry . I hope he is not; it could affect his reason.