Berkeley's International Reputation

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of California - Berkeley
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Taken out of context, I would probably object, too. But if someone said "My friends have told me that overseas people view Berkeley as one of the, if not the, best schools in the world", I would have no objection. Nowhere is it said that Berkeley is the best school in the world.

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<p>Huh, how is that? Look at what's in the quote. The phrase "...if not the best school in the world." That's a very strong implication that Berkeley is considered possibly better than Harvard. THAT is what I am objecting to.</p>

<p>If the friends just said "one of the best schools in the world", then I would agree with you. But they added the phrase "if not the best". That's a red flag to me. </p>

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That's great, but he isn't positing it as true, just as having been said by somebody. President Bush said there were WMDs in Iraq. Are you now going to yap about how there actually weren't, even when I didn't say I believed there were? He's citing an example of an individual that grew up in another country viewing Berkeley as better than Stanford. It's completely unnecessary anecdotal evidence that Cal has a better international than domestic reputation, but it's not the truth of the statement that matters, but the belief in the statement of the person that said it.

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<p>He is in fact positing it as true. See below. </p>

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If you believe there isn't a big respect gap, then say so. His question does not rely at all on Berkeley being more internationally respected than Harvard or better than Stanford. To have perfectly understood his post and only retorted without answering his legitimate question is trolling.

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<p>First off, don't tell me what is trolling and what isn't. I have the right to free speech. You're not a censor. As you are well aware, almost all threads veer off into different topics. If you don't want to talk about a subtopic, then, fine, don't read my threads. But let the people who want to read them be allowed to read them. You don't have the right to tell people what they can and cannot say.</p>

<p>Secondly, my point is that his entire question is irrelevant because it is based on faulty assumptions. It's like somebody using a bad assumption to come up with a math proof, and then asking how to use that (faulty) proof to solve another math proof. My answer to that would be that the entire line of logic is off-base because the base assumptions were wrong. Now of course anybody can just make up some bad assumptions to solve any math proof they want, but that doesn't make the proof valid, and it doesn't make the underlying logic valid.</p>

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<p>sansai, that’s the same impression I get when I travel. I was surprised to find that most people I spoke to on my trip to London not only knew of Berkeley (often people will feign knowledge) but they also knew about it's liberal reputation and the free speech movement. </p>

<p>Students (specifically science and engineering students) seem more likely to know about the university.</p>

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I have the right to free speech. You're not a censor.

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<p>Hahaha, then respect my right to call you a troll. I respect your right to be one. I just said you were one, that's all, not that you had to stop. I did ask you to address the OP's original question, which you still have not. You don't have to, but it would certainly be nice if you came into a thread to help the OP.</p>

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Secondly, my point is that his entire question is irrelevant because it is based on faulty assumptions.

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<p>You've never argued that this entire thread. You argument was that his assumption (which, really, isn't his assumption at all) that Berkeley is #1 in respect around the world and/or that Berkeley > Stanford was wrong. Nobody disagrees with you there (or has disagreed with you). You have never argued that Berkeley's domestic reputation is roughly equal to its international reputation. Not once. That's the only issue in question here.</p>

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Hahaha, then respect my right to call you a troll. I respect your right to be one. I just said you were one, that's all, not that you had to stop. I did ask you to address the OP's original question, which you still have not. You don't have to, but it would certainly be nice if you came into a thread to help the OP.

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<p>Then I in turn have the right to call you a troll. If you believe that my posts are irrelevant to the thread, then your responses to my posts are equally irrelevant to the thread. You know what they say about people who live in glass houses.</p>

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You've never argued that this entire thread.

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<p>I've never FORMALLY argued it. It was all implied. One way to show that a math proof is wrong is to show that an initial assumption is wrong. </p>

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You argument was that his assumption (which, really, isn't his assumption at all) that Berkeley is #1 in respect around the world and/or that Berkeley > Stanford was wrong

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<p>It's not HIS assumption, his assumption is hearsay. But just because an assumption is hearsay doesn't mean that it can't be refuted. </p>

<p>Specifically, it can be refuted in a number of ways, both factually, and opinionistically. I've argued the first method, but I could just as easily have done the second. For example, I know a lot of foreigners who have never heard of Berkeley. </p>

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You have never argued that Berkeley's domestic reputation is roughly equal to its international reputation. Not once. That's the only issue in question here.

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<p>First off, like I said, I don't HAVE to discuss this point, if I choose not to. I am free to talk only about initial assumptions. </p>

<p>But if I must, I can say that I don't know if the international and domestic reputations are significantly different. It depends. I know some domestic people think Berkeley is great. I know some international people who think Berkeley is crap. I've never noticed any 'delta-reputation' among domestics and internationals.</p>

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But if I must, I can say that I don't know if the international and domestic reputations are significantly different. It depends. I know some domestic people think Berkeley is great. I know some international people who think Berkeley is crap. I've never noticed any 'delta-reputation' among domestics and internationals.

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<p>Hey, kudos, you finally addressed the OP's question. I'm done hijacking the thread now.</p>

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<p>You guys should just block each other.</p>