ERIC Number: EJ1128424
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2017
Pages: N/A
Abstractor: ERIC
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0145-9635
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Beyond Utility: The Liberal Arts and the Ends of Education
Schmidt, Christopher D.
Independent School, v76 n2 Win 2017
The humanities must be foundational to all our discussions of curriculum. They are not tools for success in the global economy; they offer no return on investment; and they will not fit into a cost-benefit analysis. Rather, they are our only means of knowing what success is, or what we mean by "cost" or "benefit." We must treat the liberal arts as foundational or teaching efforts can only be thin, diffuse, and aimless. In this article, an English teacher discusses how the liberal and fine arts investigate questions about ends, not means; about virtues, not success; and about beauty, not utility. Many educational progressives are so busy solving a problem, so captivated by data and method, that they have failed to pose any of the fundamental questions that might lead to self-knowledge.
Descriptors: Liberal Arts, Fine Arts, Humanities, Role of Education, Educational Principles, Self Concept
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A