“Hence you see why “liberal studies” are so called; it is because they are studies worthy of a free- born gentlemen. But there is only one really liberal study – that which gives a man his liberty. It is the study of wisdom”, said Lucius Annaeus Seneca, the Roman Stoic philosopher who lived during the time of Jesus Christ. Historically speaking, learning liberal arts we learn ourselves to be passionate, loyal, brave and what is more important, generous. The word “freedom” has been the fundamental component of any American Dream. Today we celebrate our nation’s independence and allowance to govern ourselves. Historically speaking, the liberal arts were mostly studied by those who, because of time and material resources, are able to pursue them. One of the most influential philosophers of the ongoing discussion of the nature of the liberal arts is Lucius Annaeus Seneca. He declares that the liberal …show more content…
arts should be oriented to man's very liberation and has the explicit goal of making a person in some sense free. According to Seneca, the concept of freedom has a close relationship to the liberal arts. However, he mostly claims that the freedom to which the liberal arts are oriented is not primarily a political freedom, but it is a freedom for the mind to think. For the Stoic philosophy, the liberal arts teach virtue, but the effect of virtue is freedom. Becoming virtues means becoming a free person in mind, who is able to comprehend all magnificence of sublime truths of existence. Most people can say that the American Dream is home ownership, having your own business, or becoming rich and famous. Of course, the American Dream can include all these things, but the true meaning of the American Dream is far greater. Baldwin writes, “How dare Americans today refer to material gain as "the American dream." It is not! It is the freedom to honestly pursue one's goals that should be celebrated. Material gain is only a fruit of freedom, not its root." According to the liberal arts, its studying cannot be oriented toward the goal of making money or material profit, but rather on attaining wisdom. The liberal arts allow contemplate the Nature and God to identify the true meaning of freedom. The liberty arts teach how to be virtues, but what effects of being virtuous?
Perhaps the most important effect of virtue is generosity. As Seneca said, “…there is no grace in a benefit that sticks to the fingers.” There is no public property, because what we call our own is public. Let’s remember the truth that Christians all agree on. “The Earth is the Lord’s and all that is in it, the world, and those who live in it” (Ps. 24:1). This is God’s world, not ours. Only God holds the ultimate title on everything. America’s Founding Fathers explained very clearly the true meaning of the American Dream. According the Declaration of Independence, "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness". America’s Founding Fathers clearly understood that true freedom and faith are inseparable. In other words, desire of having freedom and a strong faith could help to establish the Constitutional Republic as a nation under
God. The American Dream is not only for those who were born in the United States. Everybody around the Earth has his own American Dream. Immigrants of America helped to build this nation that we can see now. Millions people around the world are knocking at the door asking to come in; most of them are seeking the freedom, liberty, or happiness. The liberal arts teach to be generous, so let’s share our freedom with our neighbors.
In Chapter 2 of In Defense of a Liberal Education by Fareed Zakaria titled “A Brief History of Liberal Education” Zakaria does just that he begins chapter 2 giving a history lesson on the history of liberal education. From its beginning in Ancient Greece, where lessons consisted of the studying of Homeric poetry to codes, values, and physical training. In the start, the people of Greece did not like the need for this liberal education. Zakaria talks about how Plato and Isocrates both had different outlooks on what should be taught. Plato “considered education a search for truth.” (Pg42) Where Isocrates believed that studying rhetoric, language, and morality (Pg43). Zakaria also talks about the liberal education in the Roman empire along with
If they are taught correctly, liberal arts classes have the potential to help “students cross social boundaries in their imaginations. Studying a common core of learning will help orient them to common tasks as citizens; it will challenge or bolster… their views and, in any case, help them understand why not everyone in the world (or in their classroom) agrees with them,” explains Gitlin in his article “The Liberal Arts in an Age of Info-Glut.” By exposing students to this in high school, they will be more prepared when this moment occurs in their careers. I, along with many students throughout the country, have been exposed to incorrectly-taught liberal arts classes. Students taking English, for instance, must read specific novels while assessing a theme that is already pointed out to them.
In modern times, the importance of liberal arts is questioned. The article “Myth: A Liberal Arts Education is Becoming Irrelevant” by Carol T. Christ makes the argument that a liberal arts education provides a broader range of knowledge which is useful because it produces a critically thinking student. Obtaining a career is the main focus of college education. Knowing this, Christ emphasizes how a liberal arts education is useful when looking for employment. She refutes the conception that a liberal arts education is irrelevant in today’s society by identifying the useful qualities it provides the employers look for such as, “Flexibility, creativity, critical thinking, strong communication skills (particulary writing)” (Christ,
“A high school graduate who has acquired Hirsch’s core knowledge will know, for example, that John Stuart Mill was an important 19th-century English Philosopher who was associated with something called Utilitarianism and wrote a famous book called On Liberty. But learning philosophy in college, which is and essential component of a liberal education, means that the student has to be able to read and understand the actual text of On Liberty”. (Murray
In the article “The New Liberal Arts,” Sanford J. Ungar presents the argument of why liberal arts schools are still competitive and useful today. The beginning of the article immediately addresses the problem that Ungar is defending, “Hard economic times inevitably bring scrutiny of all accepted ideals and institutions, and this time around liberal-arts education has been especially hit hard.” The author provides credibility through his time of being a liberal arts presidents, applies statistics about the enrollment and job security outside of liberal college, he addresses the cost factor and how a student may find compensation, and that a liberal arts college is not preparing students for success. The article “The New Liberal Arts,” addresses
Now, let us define liberal arts or liberal education. According to Michael Lind, liberal arts should be understood in its original sense as “elite skills” (54). We all know that liberal arts include cour...
After high school, there are many different opportunities that open up for everyone. Some people have the chance to go to a prestigious college right after they are done with their high school career. Others might just want a break from school and possibly take a year off. There are no right or wrong answers to what someone does after they finish high school. It all depends on the person's situation or what they feel is best for them. However, there may be some more benefits to taking a year off than going straight to college.
The article, Our Compassless Colleges, by Peter Berkowitz discusses the current challenges faced in liberal education in universities, how the current education is defeating the purpose of liberal education and the methods to solve the issue and the people who can solve the issue. Perter Berkowitz is former professor of Law in Hoover Institution at Stanford University. Berkowiz also taught political philosophy in the Department of Government at Harvard University and taught law at George Mason University School of Law. In his article, according to Berkowiz, university can be considered as the last chance for people to broadly and deeply read to understand the society they live in and also to study other cultures. However, he strongly believes that the universities are not providing a strong base for the students to learn comprehensive intellectual habits and to familiarize them with long-term ideas about culture, politics and social reforms.
Arthur F. Holmes states his viewpoint from a Christian standpoint on liberal arts in his essay, “The Liberal Arts”. He states, “Liberal Arts would refer to a set of academic disciplines.” (Holmes 385) He also writes that liberal arts has a lot to do with how people speak and think. Holmes also speaks of how liberal arts in the eighteenth and nineteenth century is synonymous with classical education.
The view of what college is and what the experience of college offers, differ dramatically between an individual and the society he or she lives. College has traditionally been viewed as the place young adults go to find themselves, find their career, and start their adult lives. Some have argued that education has veered too far away from tradition, while others argue that the whole idea of Liberal Education needs to keep evolving to meet the demands of the modern world. Those in favor of change argue for more diversity within the curriculum, such as more non-western world education and feminist thought. However, the traditional educational ideal has not completely vanished. At the majority of colleges in America the Liberal Arts, or General Education, is the core requirement that every student must take regardless of major. A liberal education studies the idea of what it means to be a good human being. The Liberal Arts are important to everyone because it tries to grasp each individual’s uniqueness and find their place in society. These classes aim to challenge students to become better people, better citizens, and overall create a better society. Liberal Arts try to grasp the knowledge and skills humans have used to rationally understand human existence for thousands of years. By creating culturally diverse campuses and studying topics like philosophy; students learn to question life, question society, and find answers to what it means to be a good person. All of these innovations together along with better informed and intelligent students help form societies focused on equality and the future of human civilization.
Sometimes students question themselves if college is really worth it? That question has many answers that only a student can answer and decide for him or herself. For some students college can have a positive, life-long outcome. However, there are many obstacles when it comes to college. A student has to be very dedicated in school, and they have to know how to manage their personal life, school and work. College seems like it has more negative effects than it does positive for some people. For the following reasons college is not worth the cost because it is very difficult to find jobs after graduating or they find a job that is not in their field, some students who are not academically prepared wind up dropping out of school and wasting their money and some students struggle to balance school life, personal life and work life. As a result these students end up dropping out of school.
Michael S. Roth, “Why liberal arts matter”. CNN. CNN. 21 May 2011. Web. 05 March 2014.
By taking a liberal arts degree, students are obtaining knowledge and critical thinking that high-paying job careers won’t provide. As for example, “Plenty of philosophy and physics majors work on Wall Street, and the ability to analyze and compare literature across cultures is a skill linked to many other fields, including law and medicine”, a liberal arts degree is so important because not only does it give you life skills but prepares you for far more advancement challenges (228). Ungar expresses liberal arts as a degree where students will learn not just to make a living, but also living a life that ponder values and
Is college really as valuable as everyone makes it out to be? College opens up various pathways to a successful future, if not a gateway into the middle class. With selective choices, college can be beneficial. Although it does depend on career choice and a major, one may find it certainly worth it.
In terms of writing, the words “They Say” are the ideas and views of others, that must be paid attention to by the writer. While the inverse term, “I Say” is talking in terms of your personal opinion. A perfect example in which both techniques are used would be through writing an argumentative essay. When using what “They Say” in your writing you may either quote what was said or summarize in your own words. By using this skill you can prove your statement to be correct, and to persuade the reader to agree with your views. I find that the best time to use what “They Say” is before presenting my argument to the reader. Using what “I Say” can sometimes be harder because the stipulations increase on the writer. While staying respectful