the ascendency of the convenient

AKMA notes that:

Judging from my students’ papers, one of the most prominent journals in the field of biblical studies would be Bibliotheca Sacra, a publication of Dallas Theological Seminary — a source whose theology almost all of Seabury’s students would reject out of hand.

The reason for this heavy citation of BibSac? Convenience--the journal is readily available online and in nicely packaged digital libraries.

As a college instructor, I see this "ascendency of the convenient" in student research all the time, in various ways. It shows up in students not availing themselves of the reserve section of the library, just because they can't take the books out of the library as easily to peruse at their convenience in their dorm room or apartment--even though I specifically have those books set aside for each of my courses because they're some of the best out there. It shows up in students using the free Bible study tools that are available online or as part of a Bible software package--even though they may know that the better resources are still in print or by subscription only (although there's lots of good, free stuff out there, it's still generally true that you get what you pay for!).

Of course, I could go into a nice rant about how this "ascendency of the convenient" fast becomes a "tyranny of the convenient," how its roots are in the no-pain, "comfort and convenience," microwave-and-fast-food values of our western society, or how this "ascendency of the convenient" can join apathy, narrow-minded ignorance, lack of "critical empathy" and the like as the destroyers of good education and scholarship. But then I would only indict myself...