WE NEED MORE THINKERS

September 14, 2015

Robert M. Hutchins, former President of The University of Chicago, said it best: “Ideal education is one that develops intellectual power. It is not one that is directed to immediate needs; it is not a specialized education, or a pre-professional education; it is not a utilitarian education. It is an education calculated to develop the mind. . . . without the intellectual techniques needed to understand ideas, and without at least an acquaintance with the major ideas that have animated mankind since the dawn of history, no man (sic) may call himself educated.”

Liberal education as defined by the Association of American Colleges and Universities as “a philosophy of education that empowers individuals with broad knowledge and transferable skills, and a stronger sense of values, ethics, and civic engagement . . . characterized by challenging encounters with important issues, and more a way of studying than a specific course or field of study.”

Usually global and pluralistic in scope, liberal education includes a general education curriculum which provides broad exposure to multiple disciplines and learning strategies in addition to in-depth study in at least one academic area.

However, too often today, higher education has adopted a “trade school” concept in which the emphasis toward career preparation has replaced a broader “learning/thinking” focus.

The result has been an overflow of professional formula regurgitation combined with a limited awareness of the cultural and philosophical histories of our civilization.

This, of course, limits both thought and possibility, as illustrated by the many single-sided rants in forums originally designed for lateral expression.

Too bad. The issues of our time are being discussed on a “scratch the surface” level, with ill-informed anger being the driver.

Daniel F. Sullivan, former President of St. Lawrence University, defined liberal education well: (It) “. . . requires the cultivation of those habits of intellectual and moral self-discipline that distinguishes a mature individual. . . . an education that fosters an open, inquiring and disciplined mind, well informed through broad exposure to basic areas of knowledge; an enthusiasm for life-long learning; self-confidence and self-knowledge; a respect for differing opinions and for free discussion of those opinions; and an ability to use information logically and to evaluate alternative points of view.”

Moreover, the angry rhetoric and simplistic thinking we encounter daily in the pubic discourse cries out for better educated lateral thinkers.

The future history of our great civilization will continue to rely on the liberally educated to counterbalance today’s political demagogues.

A liberal education can continue to lead the way.