Friday. May l5, I970

SCARLET AN D BLACK

 

The Nature of a Liberal Education: A Definition

By H. o. Apostle

Let us now summarize the
results oi the preceding Parts
and discuss some items related
loaliberal education asawhole.

Man, it was statcd, is a com-
plex being with a variety oi
needs; hence he is capable of
a variety of pleasures. But the
fulfillment of just one or a few
kinds of needs, and so of
pleasures, is not sufficicnt for a
life of richness, and such lack
of suiiicieiicy also brings pains,
Hence a learner should become
aware oi a variety oi interests
and should acquire the
corresponding iiabits. Acr
cordiiigly, two things are
necessary knowledge and art
according to knowledge in a
variety of fields. The exercise of
knowledge alone can yield only
pleasures of the mind; that at
art according to knowledge can
yield pleasures also of action, for
many human activities and
disciplines (politics, medicine,
etc) require both kinds; and the
two kinds are not adequately
fulfilled without health. Of
course, one cannot afford to
become interested in all
disciplines, and so there must be
a selection, But one selects from
what he knows there is to select,
and the greater the number of
things to select irom, the better
the selection. The kind of
education called “liberal,” then,
is desngned (a) to make the
student aware of what there is
to select and (b) to develop in
him the proper habits, in
tellectual, artistic, and ethical,
which make happiness probable
(happiness being a sort of harr
mony ot pleasures and avoidance
oi pains), for pleasures irom
improper habits bring also pains,
like‘the pains which follow the
pleasures oi heroin, and the
result is discord and unhap-
piness. Now there are pleasures
of the mind and pleasures of the
senses; and under a developed
mind are included a career, a
good intellect in a general sense,
and the appreciation oi the arts,
while under a developed
character come a variety of

pleasures. including those of the
senses. The definition of a
liberally educated person,
therefore, iollows irom what has
been said,

DEFINITION: A liberally
educated person is one who has
acquired suiiicicntly (l) a
developed mind, which includes
la) a good intellect in a general
way, (1)) ii sense oi appreciation
ior the arts, and to) good training
fora career; (2) a good charactcr
through the required knowledge
and lhe exercise of the
corresponding proper habits; and
t3) knowledge and the
corresponding habits necessary
to maintain and promote a
healthy body, all oi these ior the
sake of a continuous life of
happiness.

Under “a developed mind” we
include coiirscs on the following
topics- the history of our present
civilization, methodology lthe
nature of a science and an arlli
a natural science (mathematics
or physics or chemistry or
biology) treated in a general or
in a technical manner, and a
social science Under “the ap-
preciation of arts” we include one
or two courses from various
helds (music, painting, English
or toreign literature, sculpture,
etc ) Under “development of
character” we include a
discussion course in ethics; and
under ”health," physical
education and a course on health.
These courses should constitute
the minimum requirement, ior
various careers require ad-
ditional courses, which should be
the concern of the individual
departments.

Most required courses should
be taken in the iirst two years,
but there should be some
flexibility. The course of
methodology should be given in
the junior or senior year, for
some preparation in the sciences
and the arts is advisable, and
some maturity is required to
understand the abstract concepts
common to the sciences and the
arts. A career, we stated, is oi
major importance, so the
preparation of it should not be

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delayed by overburdening the
student with requirements in his
first two years ii the student has
already decided on a career.
Creativity and discovery in the
special helds are best developed
in early years, and specialization
in the various fields suggests an
early start, so if the student's
interest has already been
aroused in a given field, it should
not bchandicapped at the start

Concerning that part oi the
development of the mind and of
character which has to do with
art in certain human affairs
(responsibility, government,
dccision~making in practical af-
iairs in general), it should cerr
iaiiily be promoted, especially in
those students whose careers
require much action. But by
definition a student is a learner
and does not have the knowlcdge
and the maturity to make ader
quatc decisions concerning the
larger issues, such as those air
iccting the general interests oi
the state or of the nation or of
the world, or even oi tiic college
But ior tiic sake oi learning,
students should be allowed and
encouraged to make decisions on
lcsscr issues, where any harm
that may come will not be
signiiicant, as in running their
own aiiairs in the dormitories,
provided that such decisions do
not run contrary to the basic
rights of all students, But to allow
students to participate in decis-
ions on iaculty tenure, iaculty
promotions, admissions policy,
selection or a president, and other
matters which affect the general
interest oi the college, would be
unwise indeed, for this runs
contrary to the very idea that
students are still learners. They
may discuss such issues among
themselves and with the faculty
and the administration, and they
may make suggestions; in fact,
such discussions and suggestions
should be encouraged,

Since part oi the means oi
happiness is the formation oi the
proper habits, both adminis»
trators and faculty should see to
it that this part is neither violated
nor neglected. Flagrant violation
of college rules by students leads
to similar violations of the laws
of the land when such students
leave the college community.
Now just as bad laws are better
than no laws at all, so bad rules
are better than no rules at all;
and, as stated earlier, students
should be free to make their
thoughts and wishes known to the
administration, if they consider
certain. rules bad. But willful
violation and confrontation
should never be allowed, for this
leads to lack of respect,
disregard of reason and ex-
perience, and the substitution of
emotion as a means. All these
defeat the way of learning and
the purpose oi a liberal education
as usually understood and as
defined here.

The argument that violence
(we may also include vandalism,
building takeover, deliberate
interference in education, etc.)
on or oil campus by students is
nowadays justified because it
forces educational or political
authorities to change existing ills
is grossly misa’pplied. Some ills
do exist, always existed, and will
always exist, and an ideal society

Page Three

 

 

 

 

Yale Has Nothing On Us

is only a dream, and the eiiort
to correct existing ills must al-
ways be welcome. But students
in our nation today never had it
so good for many reasons: they
are financially well off, they are
given the opportunity to study,
they are given the freedom of
choice, their future is well
assured, and their professors and
administrators are not authori-
tarians. Comparison with
students in other nations should
Convince anyone of our
educational superiority in these
respects, Again, the students'
aim should be education, not the
prevention of it by violence; and
the presumption by some of them
to superior knowledge in
morality, politics, and other such
great issues is ridiculous. Fur»
lher, such students tend to defeat
the very independence of educa
tion ii-om political interierence;
for if students have the right to
interfere with national
authorities through violence,
politicians have a similar right
to interfere with the students'
education, and the victor will not
be the students. So let politicians
take care oi politics, and
educators (not students) take
care of education. students’ right
to act politically through uieir
elected representatives has
never been denied, and individ-
ually they are free to protest and
parade peaceiully without pre
venting education. As for change,
the most probable change
through a period of violence or
chaos is not reform but dicta-
torial takeover, like that by the
army in Greece in 1967 ‘ a bad
alternative. Finally, it is only a
small minority of students who
advocate and resort to violence;
and they do so at the expense
of the majority

It's a sad commentary on those
administrators who, in the name
of "tolerance” or some other
such misconception, allow the
irresponsible actions at an im-
mature, determined, revolu-
tionary, arrogant, and misguided
minority to interiere with the
education oi a good and serious
mayor-ity As already stated in a
previous Part. the serious
violations nowadays differ in

kind, not in degree; hence, they
require a treatment which like
wise differs in kind, not in degree,
For a student who errs and ad;
mits his action as an error. the
penalty should be one oi
correction, But for a student who
openly deiies the rules or resorts
to violence, the answer is not a
penalty oi correction but sev-
erance from the college, The
effort to try to change the mind
of such a student (and the
corrective returns are negligible)
can better be used for better
purposes elsewhere; and the
damage by penalizing him lightly
results in encouraging others to
do likewise, Such penalty, we
may add, should apply especially
lo pi-oiessors, whose character
and ideas are less subject to
change, it they advocate
violence. Recent over-leniency
has failed, and expectation oi a
cure is based on shaky principles.
Prevention would have been
better.

Ultimately, the responsibility
rests with the Trustees, ior
ultimale direction of the lack of
it issues from them; and it is
a grave responsibility, ior higher
learning is a national respon-
sibility. not limited to Just the
college in which it is imparted.
Perhaps some change in the
distribution of power is needed
in many colleges, and perhaps
authority should be assigned to
persons who are both responsible
and knowledgeable in the field
where authority is exercised.
Authority to impose penalties ior
violation oi college rules, for
cxample, dos not belong to stu-
dents, and an authoritative body
which includes them (like our
Judicial Council; mree students,
three professors) is likely to lead
to ineiiiciency, ineiiectivencss,
irustration, and even injustice.
The recent events at the Univer-
sity or Northern iowa illustrates
the point, and President Maucker
in his recent TV talk discussed
the importance oi the principle
ofknowledgeability.

In general, the relation oi
faculty and administrators to

LIBERAL ED.—
Continued on Page 4