On Fri, Feb 17, 2023 at 11:50 PM Aspen via agora-discussion <agora-discussion@agoranomic.org> wrote: > > On Sat, Feb 11, 2023 at 1:07 PM nix via agora-business < > agora-busin...@agoranomic.org> wrote: > > > Here is the current list of interested thesis reviewers. > > > > Reviewer Last Reviewed Thesis > > -------- -------------------- > > 4st > > Aspen > > Janet > > juan > > nix > > > > If you would like your name added or removed from this list, simply > > notify me. > > > > > > 4st has submitted a thesis, which is below. I assign the following > > people to review it: myself, Janet, Aspen. I request the reviewers give > > their verdicts within 1 week of this notice. If you are unable to do so, > > let me know if you need an extension or would like someone else to be > > assigned instead. > > > I expect to respond to this within the next 48 hours. I hope to do it soon, > but there's a chance I might not have the energy tonight. > > -Aspen
I have now reviewed the thesis. There are three requirements in Rule 1367, "Degrees" for awarding an arts degree. The first standard applies generally to all degrees: "publication of an original thesis of scholarly worth (including responses to peer-review), published with explicit intent to qualify for a degree". This standard is indisputably met, except perhaps for the "of scholarly worth"; however, I will take this as being a reference to the other standards of the rule, and defer consideration to them. There is also the specific standard for art degrees, "Theses for Art degrees SHOULD demonstrate substantial creativity and need not be in written form." Notably, this does not require that the work be art, which is probably a good thing [1]. This could be a bit more specific, since just about every work is creative in some way, including such things as essays. Perhaps we should take the rule as meaning only the form of creativity that is artistic in some way. In any case, the question that would actually be relevant in this case is whether to consider the creativity substantial. The final standard is more subtle. It is the standard that determines what grade of degree to award. "Degrees SHOULD be awarded according to the extent to which the thesis contributes to Nomic culture or thought: Associate degrees for an appreciable contribution, Baccalaureate degrees for a substantial contribution, Magisteriate degrees for a remarkable contribution, and Doctorate degrees for an exceptional contribution." Thus, to be awarded a degree, the thesis must meet at least the associate standard (at least half of you can already guess where I'm going with this). Simply put, I do not think the work, regardless of how creative it is, constitutes even an appreciable contribution to Agoran culture. I do not think there is anything in the creative nature of the work itself that would prompt me to cite it in the future, or otherwise change my approach to Agora. By contrast, there are many other Agoran artistic works that I believe might have reason to refer people to, including both theses and non-theses. This case is a nonsensical proposal, but those have been done before, in contexts that have had a substantial cultural impact (such as the proposals written by an AI a few years back). This proposal does not seem distinct as a creative contribution, apart from the fact that it was submitted for a thesis. On this front, I can appreciate my colleague [2] nix's interpretation, that the work has had a substantial impact on our thesis process, such as by prompting the Herald to update the archives. Nevertheless, I do not personally believe that the impact of a work on the thesis process is enough to meet the Agoran culture or thought criterion on its own. Taken to the extreme, this would suggest that random text submitted as a thesis had an impact on culture simply by virtue of the comments provided on it and the way it reminded others of the existence of theses. Even without argument from absurdity, I think theses should demonstrate a contribution *independent of their status as theses.* (This is not meant to discount parody theses; but these would be interesting artistically even if not submitted for a degree.) Having concluded this thesis does not meet one of the requisite standards for awarding a degree, I vote UNSUITABLE FOR DEGREE. [1] I'm honestly not sure whether this thesis is art. For me, art is defined by its aesthetic impact. That could be beauty, but it could also be the subtle yet clear conveyance of a message, or a manifested exploration of an ideal. Art can take the form of a good work, or a comically bad one, and at times art is created which critiques the concept itself. Thus, given that the work does not arouse any particular emotion in me, beyond a faint and wearied bewilderment, and does not seem purposefully designed to convey any message, including a critique of contemporary standards and definitions, I am a bit reluctant to consider it art. However, also reluctant to tell someone that their work isn't art, especially given that it touches upon aesthetic themes, such as bewilderment, unnecessary complexity, and, to quote its prologue, "NONSENSE". -Aspen
