Brain drain: a non-political perspective

Abstract

Brains should matter for all academics. In brawn, horsepower of any kind will always be superior. As human species, we may not have the biggest brains in relative or absolute terms, but we certainly have the best. We should never forget, however, that this superior brainpower does not only let academics excel, it is just as responsible for the best CEOs, the best artists, the best sport champions – even for the most efficient and atrocious criminals. Therefore, just battling for brains may not be enough. It must be the right brains, and these do not come freely and ready-made by mother Nature. We cannot simply breed them, we have to nurture, to educate and to hone them, far from only battling for them.