Humanities and Liberal Arts are classifications of subjects within the curricula of senior school and first degree higher education. Humanities consists of languages, cultures and literatures, including those of classical antiquity, arts, history and philosophy. It does not include natural and social sciences, or professional and vocational training. The Liberal Arts originate in Greek and Roman education and were held to be seven: astronomy, mathematics, geometry and music; and rhetoric, grammar and dialectic. In the middle ages these grouping formed the quadrivium and trivium of university education. The first relate to understanding eternal truths regarding the order and harmony of the cosmos; the second to civic life and governance. The term ‘liberal arts’ expresses the idea that in acquiring these skills and the knowledge they bring one is freed from the slavery of ignorance, compulsion and servitude: one is made ‘free’. In the 19th century as science and technology were harnessed in the service of manufacture, and the development of pharmaceuticals, and professions became prominent there were debates in Europe and in North America about what should be the principal curricula in higher education. In the UK, figures such as Matthew Arnold, John Stuart Mill and John Henry Newman argued in favour of traditional Humanities/Liberal arts education, as did some such as Wilhelm von Humboldt, the common theme being that as well specialist knowledge and practical training, human beings need understanding of themselves, of their place in the world, of matters of value and meaning, and the capacity to discuss these intelligently with others. Far from being irrelevant humane and liberal learning were ever more necessary in an increasingly mechanised, industrialised, technological world. Germany, however, as it built itself a new state and major world power also produced advocates of the priority of science and technology and these ideas were taken up in the US which hitherto had been greatly influenced by the liberal arts tradition. This led by stages to a separation within American higher education between 4 year liberal arts colleges, and multi-faculty universities. Since the 1970s the debate about what should be the aim of higher education has intensified and spread.
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— I argue that the role and understanding of the humanities in American higher education has been deformed by its relationship to modern science. This deformation tracks three features of contemporary science: its rigor and characteristic method; its
— Roger Scruton on why art is more than matter and meme
— A flourishing economy requires the same skills that support citizenship, Martha C. Nussbaum writes.
— Making the case for the enduring relevance of the liberal arts tradition, Dr. Thomas Hibbs gave a talk recently to Zaytuna College students about the connection between our politics and the degradation of our language. Dr. Hibbs uses an essay by George Orwell to point out the reciprocal relationship between language and thought, and warns students not to repeat “ready-made phrases” mindlessly. “What Orwell is advocating here is for us to take self-conscious ownership of our own language so that we don’t just, in a sloppy or slovenly way, repeat things that we never thought clearly about,” he said. Dr. Hibbs, an abiding advocate of liberal education, is a philosophy professor at Baylor University, having recently served as president of the University of Dallas.
— The 2017 Bill and Roberta Bailey Family Lecture in Christian Ethics "Skills, Virtues, and the Christian University: Liberal Learning in an Illiberal Time"
— Thomas Hibbs, University of Dallas The Character of the University Baylor Symposium on Faith and Culture Baylor University, Waco, TX October 17-19, 2019
— Rev Prof Michael Sherwin, OP on "Integrated Humanities Programmes & the Renewal of Catholic Education" part of the 2021 Aquinas Seminar Series on the theme De Magistro: Aquinas and the Education of the Whole Person, exploring what Aquinas offers towards a philosophy and praxis of education, bringing him into conversation with other thinkers and with movements towards educating the whole person. A copy of the slides from the lecture are available here: https://www.bfriars.ox.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Blackfriars-Talk-handout.pdf
— The Love of Learning is an open invitation to a lively conversation on the nature and practice of the liberal arts. Artfully facilitated by Margarita A. Mooney and inspired by the personal and practical experiences of its interlocutors, the book explores the key figures and ideas which have lent shape and substance to the liberal arts tradition. In these seven dialogues, Mooney speaks with: Robert P. George on the importance of tradition in education; William Damon on the place of moral exemplars in the development of a transformative pedagogy; Elizabeth Corey on the holistic foundations of a liberal arts education; Timothy P. O’Malley on the contemplative aspect of experiential education; Carlo Lancellotti on the influence of the Benedictine tradition on scientific inquiry; George Harne on the proper incorporation of the fine arts and worship into a curriculum; and Roosevelt Montás on the transcendent nature of the Great Books.
— The outbreak of the coronavirus has become a major disruption to colleges and universities across the country. In this conversation, Thomas Hibbs, President of the University of Dallas, will describe the impact of the pandemic on one small liberal arts institution, as it sought to reopen its campus amid mounting public health and financial challenges. In reflecting on UD's experience, Dr. Hibbs will assess the future of liberal arts education in colleges and universities and discuss why the liberal arts are more necessary than event. This conversation was moderated by Professor Jacob Howland. It took place on January 22, 2021.
— “Dante’s Divine Comedy and the Value of the Liberal Arts to the Modern World” is a Magdalen College seminar that includes a panel of our professors. Dr. Anthony Esolen, Dr. Mary Mumbach and Dr. Erik van Versendaal each give talks on Dante's great work and the immeasurable impact it has had on Western civilization. Please enjoy! Date of Event: November 14, 2020
Humanities and Liberal Arts are classifications of subjects within the curricula of senior school and first degree higher education. Humanities consists of languages, cultures and literatures, including those of classical antiquity, arts, history and philosophy. It does not include natural and social sciences, or professional and vocational training. The Liberal Arts originate in Greek and Roman education and were held to be seven: astronomy, mathematics, geometry and music; and rhetoric, grammar and dialectic. In the middle ages these grouping formed the quadrivium and trivium of university education. The first relate to understanding eternal truths regarding the order and harmony of the cosmos; the second to civic life and governance. The term ‘liberal arts’ expresses the idea that in acquiring these skills and the knowledge they bring one is freed from the slavery of ignorance, compulsion and servitude: one is made ‘free’. In the 19th century as science and technology were harnessed in the service of manufacture, and the development of pharmaceuticals, and professions became prominent there were debates in Europe and in North America about what should be the principal curricula in higher education. In the UK, figures such as Matthew Arnold, John Stuart Mill and John Henry Newman argued in favour of traditional Humanities/Liberal arts education, as did some such as Wilhelm von Humboldt, the common theme being that as well specialist knowledge and practical training, human beings need understanding of themselves, of their place in the world, of matters of value and meaning, and the capacity to discuss these intelligently with others. Far from being irrelevant humane and liberal learning were ever more necessary in an increasingly mechanised, industrialised, technological world. Germany, however, as it built itself a new state and major world power also produced advocates of the priority of science and technology and these ideas were taken up in the US which hitherto had been greatly influenced by the liberal arts tradition. This led by stages to a separation within American higher education between 4 year liberal arts colleges, and multi-faculty universities. Since the 1970s the debate about what should be the aim of higher education has intensified and spread.