Modern universities, particularly elite universities like Columbia, are strange places, caught between worlds. The permanent residents (the faculty) largely lead contemplative intellectual lives at one remove from the whole sphere of public action. The visitors (the students) – who pay to keep the place going – are largely preparing themselves for active lives of work. Of course, this same division was present in the ancient universities of Europe from which ours descend, where students were prepared for careers in the professions, not least in the church, but also in law and in medicine.

What is strange is that the values governing courses of study are at odds with the work many students go on to do.