On March 1st, German Defense Minister, Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg stepped down from his post. This man, while most likely foreign (no pun intended) to most of us, was a very important figure in Germany. He represented something politically new and interesting, and was quite charismatic. How could this popular figure have been brought down? Well, scandal of course.
While writing his doctoral thesis five years ago, it has recently been revealed that he plagiarized a significant portion of it. Chancellor Merkel didn't seem to care, but the educational community was outraged. Sadly, this is how the story ends for Mr. (not Dr.) zu Guttenberg.
Should this new information about his educational background have warranted the reaction that occurred? Even now, he still has many supporters...
1 comment:
This is a difficult situation. According to the article, it seems like zu Guttenberg was quite a respectable figure. Yes, he screwed up by plagiarizing some years ago, but does that make him unworthy of what he's accomplished over the course of his term(s)? Then again, he did steal the work of others and it understandably would make the German people uneasy with having a potentially untrustworthy individual in their government. I believe it should have warranted a reaction. It would have been ridiculous to not do so. The outrage of scholars is quite understandable. But should that have exacerbated the situation so much that he decided to resign? I don't know...
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