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Argument for classic, liberal education resonates both in the East and the West
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DEAR Mr. Wan:
So many of the observations you made in your article in the Shanghai Daily on November 6 (“Job-training education fails to foster love for truth and learning”) about the purpose of education are equally relevant for the United States.
“Higher education” — meaning schooling beyond high school — has long evoked mixed reactions among Americans.
In the 18th century — and for much of the 19th, as well — even a high school education was beyond the practical reach of most citizens, unless they were children (especially sons) of the landed gentry or wealthier merchants.
For these, advanced education focused heavily on the liberal arts, especially the classics of literature, philosophy and history. Through the first decade of the 18th century, in fact, it was still expected of the “educated gentleman” that he would have at least a passing knowledge of a wide variety of disciplines, including — beyond the classic liberal arts — law, medicine, and science.
As literacy expanded in the 19th century, however, it was accompanied by a growing demand for at least a high school education for members of the urban middle classes.
By the middle of the 19th century, a college education was something that was in reach of a growing number of still mostly male citizens.
As industrialism rapidly accelerated after the US Civil War of the 1860s today’s familiar debate between getting “an education for its own sake” and “needing to prepare for the work world” had already started. A good part of this reflected the rise of wealthy businessmen who did not share the same enthusiasm for literature, philosophy, and history that was typical of the Founders’ generation.
Exposure to literature
By the time I was a student in the 1960s, a college degree was increasingly considered a necessity if one were to be “successful” in the world, a concept that not only embraced pursuing a good work career but also still espousing the belief that one’s happiness and wisdom was dependent upon a wide exposure to literature, the arts, and culture.
Compared to today, only a relative few of my fellow students were intent upon securing a business degree, although many did pursue a more focused scientific track such as an engineering degree. (It was also, not so incidentally, possible for most students to make a considerable dent in the cost of attending college through summer work. Tuition, board, and books were nowhere near the burden that they have become today.)
High cost of debt
The major issues roiling higher educational waters in the US these days include: the high cost of debt incurred by most students attending college; the increasing gap between the wealthiest elite and the rest of US citizens, making the economic return of a college education an important factor; the influence the former has on the kind of education students pursue (increasingly profession- or field-specific rather than liberal arts focused); and, often overlooked, the impact of the ongoing and increasingly divisive culture wars on the content of education.
Just a word about the last component: If one considers the past, say, 30 years in the United States, it is hard to avoid the conclusion that the level of overall civic discourse has been considerably dumbed down, even as it has become increasingly divisive and simplistic.
I share your belief, Mr. Wan, that humans cannot really flower without studying — and coming to value — the prized works of our cultures that teach wisdom, spiritual discipline, and inter- and intra-cultural knowledge.
What does the current turmoil within American education suggest for the ability of citizens in the future to understand, weigh and support wise and sound public policy?
For my part, I am very concerned.
Thank you for your thoughts!
Sincerely,
Greg Cusack
Portland, Oregon
United States
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