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Purity of Heart and the Liberal Arts

Joseph Patterson — Sun, 06 Jul 2008 16:22:48 +0000

I have been reading St. John Cassian's Conferences seeking to understand the goal of the education of the desert fathers which is purity of heart. This is the telos (goal) of the desert fathers because only those with purity of heart are able to see God (Mt. 5:8). The question behind my reading of Cassian is, how does a liberal arts education help the education of the desert which has as its goal purity of heart?

1. A liberal arts education can help awaken the soul to the highest things.
2. A liberal arts education may help a person to better grasp what a virtuous life looks and feels like.
3. A liberal arts education may help prepare the ground or cultivate the soul in order to pursue the telos of the desert. This is true for St. John Cassian who was educated in the classical tradition.
4. A liberal arts education can provide the tools for the discernment involved in seeking purity of heart.
5. A liberal arts education may help a person better explain the Christian life to the seeker with the correct use of rhetoric.

A liberal arts education is not to be seen as an end, but as a possible means for assisting one in the pursuit of a pure heart. I say possible, because it is certainly possible to reach purity of heart without a liberal arts education, as has been demonstrated in the life of many saints like St. Anthony. God uses different means for preparing the soul for the pursuit of a pure heart.

People Who You'll Never Agree With

theleftovers — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 01:18:22 +0000

I'm sure it comes off as common sense that you're going to meet a lot of people that think differently than you do in the world. I'm sure you already have. Maybe you're even meeting them right now. At this very moment. Surprise!

But the thing is, these people with all of their different-ness seem to multiply when you graduate college. There's no longer that net called "liberal arts" capturing all of those people that I like to call "indifferent to knowledge."

I work with this woman who's only conversational point in any context is "everybody's different." And although we might be talking about the quality of cheese on her sandwich, it still leads back to "everybody's different." And even though I hear this every day, she has a point. Everyone is different.

Once you're no longer defined by the college logo on your t-shirt that's been sitting, balled-up next to your laundry basket for two weeks because you're not sure when it's appropriate to wear t-shirts anymore, you realize you have to find a new way to define yourself.

Are you going to be the graduate school student? The entry-level job employee? The homeless bum on the side of the highway? The bartender that's been "figuring out" their lives for the last four years? The person that cuts a break and ends up being infinitely needed in all business decisions at the company they started themselves?

I can't tell you who or what you should be, because as my co-worker would say, "everybody's different!" But I can tell you that regardless which path you walk, you will be guaranteed to meet someone that will make you question the rest of the world's intellect. And it's during these instances that you have to chalk their ignorance up to a faulty education system or being dropped on the head at birth.

So give yourself a pat on the back for being a liberal arts leftover, head unscathed and educationally open.

-The Boxcar Children

Article about TESC (The Evergreen State College)

josahlin — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 21:55:45 +0000

This was written for a regional high-school newspaper with a selective staff. It's a compilation of the optional essay I wrote for my application to the college, and another informative feature-like article I wrote about it.

In a bubble of ignorance, believing that school was supposed to be about competing for grades, doing meaningless homework, and taking even more pointless tests, I was frustrated when I visited Evergreen. Why couldn’t I have been left alone, left to choose a ‘traditional’ college and complete my education in a more ‘normal’ way? I could have persisted with learning little, retaining little and being unenthusiastic about the whole process.
Luckily, there was another alternative. After two weeks of debating with myself and discussing with my dad, I jumped. It was a leap of faith– faith in myself, and faith in Evergreen’s spectacular system (or refreshing lack thereof).

Almost every institute of higher learning proclaims a “one-of-a-kind” education of some sort. But Evergreen has the genuine raw appeal of a completely non-traditional atmosphere, though it’s definitely not for everyone. It is intriguing to students who have never questioned their school’s method of awarding grades or percentages.

Through high school, we’re trained to “strive” for the A, or maybe to accomplish “just” the B. But as anyone who has taken at least a semester of high school knows, the definition of a letter grade changes in every class. Do you really have to reach for that A in choir, like you do the one in math? Maybe you’re psyched for a C in history, but disappointed by a C in chemistry. With all the ambiguity and shape shifting of grades, it’s a wonder that we still put meaning in them. Then again, it’s so ingrained in all students that we just accept it.

Not at the Evergreen State College. No letter grades are assigned, no numbers. Nothing that could be misunderstood or misinterpreted. Teachers instead write complete, comprehensive evaluations of students and their work throughout a quarter. They can choose to give full, partial or no credit for a program.

Evergreen doesn’t require as much academic prowess and scholarly willpower as it does creativity. I have an unlimited imagination, but never has it been applied to designing a college education. In an institution which allows this and encourages it, the mind is freed of meaningless worries such as credits, grades, and mere memorization. Instead, a swiftly growing and maturing brain will engage in more important processes, like internal discussion, developing ideas and opinions, self-analysis, and self-discovery (partly through self-doubt).

Evergreen’s program system clears things up for those of us who were frustrated by having to jump from learning about DNA to reading Moby Dick in two hours. What if we could connect the two based on something they may have in common?

In a program, all types of classes—arts, sciences, social studies—are all tied together around a central theme. Usually, there are two to five professors who each specialize in an area within the program. They all collaborate and share their expertise.

The students’ environment is collaborative as well. When they don’t have to compete for a grade or “setting the curve,” there’s much more energy for sharing opinions, knowledge, and backgrounds.

Authors of what we call the “Great Books” believed that this was always what learning was supposed to be about. Why, then, didn’t education remain such a quenching and enlightening process? Obviously, most people are probably not meant to write books, which, thousands of years later, are still memorable enough to be called the “Great Books.” But how and when did education become so untrustworthy that tests of knowledge were developed? When did it become so discrete that we could measure the amount of it in a letter grade? When, in fact, did education become a measurable quantity at all?

There exists a college where one’s own schools of thought matter most. Personal concepts can be applied to a learning environment where there can only be endless rewards– the introduction of new thoughts, which develop and are reapplied. This means a cycle of win-win collaborative learning situations in discussions, ideas and personal growth.
There is so much to look forward to at Evergreen. Aside from its unique perspective on studies, it doesn’t lose any exciting opportunities available at other colleges. There’s so much to get involved in and so many choices to take advantage of in clubs, sports and the arts. Many activities were not options for me in high school.

I have attended a specifically college prep school for the past six years. Needless to say, it wasn’t prepping me for the type of learning I will embrace at Evergreen. No, the Coeur d’ Alene Charter Academy has been training me in the ways of the traditional college, where I would spend even more tedious hours fighting for that weird letter A that really represented nothing.

Then again, it’s not like there’s an Evergreen Prep School. And because of the whole diploma thing, high schools need a way to quantify how much a student has supposedly learned.

I’m confused by the awarding of letter grades for tedious memorization and regurgitation of textbook knowledge, and by what, if any, relation these grades have to learning in the first place. Evergreen opened my eyes to this disconnection, thankfully. In attending Evergreen, I’m especially anticipating seeing the world unrestricted by the blindness caused when education is made into a monotonous, unimaginative chore. Evergreen is a breath of fresh air after struggling to find inspiration in a traditional school system.

The Evergreen State College: www.evergreen.edu

Reflection of a Chinese - Introduction

raymondwclee — Sat, 28 Jun 2008 18:50:34 +0000

The unexamined life is not worth living
Socrates, in Plato's Apology, 38a

Throughout history of Mankind, China has always been a driving force of shaping the human civilization. After more a century of wars and chaos, China started to re-emerge in 1978 and now it has been widely regarded as a would-be superpower. Yet despite that, in an online survey conducted within the PRC in 2006 (details), more than half of the respondant replied that they do not want to be a Chinese again should they had a second life. This finding shocked the Communist regime, and ordered the survey to stop.

As a Chinese myself, I feel amazingly unsurprised about such findings (and you may be very surprised to know I am unsurprized). Shouldn't the Chinese be very proud of our richness in history & culture? What has made us to hate our own identity so much that we don't want to be Chinese should we have the choice? That is why I created this blog, to explore how the Chinese people views about themselves, and our reactions to the rest of the world. Same as looking at ourselves in front of a mirror, I view this blog as a reflection to the Chinese identity.

My opinion is mostly based on a Chinese book written by Dr. Sun Lung-Kee (孫隆基), literally translated as "Deep Structure of Chinese Culture" (中國文化的深層結構). When it was published in the early 1980s, it really shocked the overseas Chinese community (N.B. The Communist regime banned this book until 2004, yet the version sold in the PRC today still have some politically sensitive contents, such as Cultural Revolution, censored). In this book, Dr. Sun used the psycho-sexual development theory by Sigmund Freud as a framework to explain the behaviour of Chinese people, and demonstrates his theory using very vivid examples. For readers who cannot read Chinese language, you may read his English book with a similar theme (click here), though the content is much shorter. Of course I'll add other books' views into my opinion, but Dr. Sun theory is still my main framework.

I would like to thank Dr. Ronald Teng who, as a friend of Dr. Sun, introduced this book to me. Through his organization called Millennium Education Associates, he promotes Artes liberales in Hong Kong (To distinguish it with the so-called "Liberal Education" as thought by the HKSAR Government, I rather use the Latin word to describe what Dr. Teng is really advocating). I am currently attending his weekly lesson on Western philosophy.

Hope you enjoy surfing here!

The Scopos of the Education in the Desert

Joseph Patterson — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 13:39:17 +0000

The following is from the first Conference with Abba Moses where Cassian sets out the scopos or goal of the various conferences with the holy elders in the Egyptian desert. All education is fruitless if it does not have a scopos or an eternal end in mind.

"all the arts and disciplines,he said, have a certain scopos or goal, and a telos, which is the end that is proper to them, on which the lover of any art sets his gaze and for which he calmly and gladly endures every labor and danger and expense......."

As we listened with amazement, the old man continued:The end of our profession, as we have said, is the kingdom of God or the kingdom of heaven; but the goal or scopos is purity of heart, without which it is impossible for anyone to reach that end."-Abba Moses in The Conferences by St. John Cassian

On Discussion & Education - Part I

thismodernage — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 08:25:37 +0000

Discussion is the highest point of education because it is so suitable to human nature. As wonderful a discipline as writing is, it more removed from natural human interaction than discussion. First, writing is a complete action. Any event or thought that is being written should be complete. The consequence of this is that the writer cannot be involved in the daily flow of life as it happens while he is writing. Further, no written work is perfect. There will always be confusion about the use of particular terms, and sometimes the writer's message may be entirely lost to the reader. This is much less likely to be a problem in a discussion.

In a discussion men may always ask questions to have terms and arguments clarified for him. During a discussion mistakes may be corrected and forgiven and ideas may be explored because there is no material evidence of what is said. This free form of learning truly lends itself to men being more active in their own education because discussion demonstrates thought and can foster and further it. It only follows that men should become more free through discussion rather than through the removed activities of reading and writing.

A double header in the T-J today

Debra Lindsay — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 12:28:28 +0000

I think all the bases have been covered: Cook offers a critique of the idea that universities should provide training rather than an education, and Gagnon points out how the government has scapegoated the universities and colleges, blaming them for not doing their (alleged) jobs in an attempt to divert our attention away from the fact that many New Brunswickers are being left behind as the so-called boom takes place.

From "Province needs more high-paying jobs," Larry Gagnon, Telegraph-Journal (Jun 25/08, A6):

If Doherty and Liberals want to bring the province to self-sufficiency by 2026 they had better refocus their gaze on the other half of the minister's portfolio: "labour." New Brunswickers deserve better. Those high-paying, desirable jobs that they should be preparing New Brunswickers to step into do not exist.

"Remember focus of higher education," Greg Cook, Telegraph-Journal (Jun 25/08, A6):

Throughout the post-secondary education debate over the past 10 months Dr. Ed Doherty has sounded like the warden of a minimum security institution instead of the minister responsible for the province's universities. He whines on about keeping students at home, or "down on the farm," as the cliché goes.

The purpose of university education is not to produce labourers, but to prepare young people to be world citizens. A John Peters Humphrey, David Adams Richards, Gordon Fairweather, Erminie Cohen, Herménégilde Chiasson, and Antonine Maillet, among others, are examples of what a university does for students.

And then a graduate has something to say about efforts to keep New Brunswickers employed…

From "No incentive for nursing grads to stay in N.B.," Joey Carr, Daily Gleaner (Jun 25/08, B7):

The closest the province of New Brunswick has come to an incentive is offering a diminutive reimbursement of 50 per cent of tuition to a maximum of $2,000 per year. That's hardly even enough to pay the interest my student loan would accrue in a year.

The government of British Columbia offers loan forgiveness for nurses and other eligible professionals, at 33 per cent of your loan balance for every year worked in the province. Basically, after three years of working, your loans are done. Now that's what I call an incentive to stay.…

The province states how desperate they are for nurses. For years, we've heard about the "critical nursing shortage."

It's time the government of New Brunswick stopped wallowing in self-pity and actually started to actively recruit and retain its nurses.

Euclid and St. John's College

leahelizabeth — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 14:29:51 +0000

Lately, I've been thinking about Euclid -- especially his first proposition.

In St. John's Graduate Program, this is how the Math and Science semester begins. (Well, technically it begins with this: A point is that which has no part; a line is breadthless length; the extremities of a line are points. But this proposition follows soon after.)

I'm not sure why it's been on my mind, but I think it will do me some good to lay it out and to think through it again here.

Proposition 1

On a given finite straight line to construct an equilateral triangle.

Let AB be the given finite straight line.

It is required to construct an equilateral triangle on the straight line AB.

With center A and radius AB describe the circle BCD. Again describe the circle ACE with center B and radius BA. Join the straight lines CA and CB from the point C at which the circles cut one another to the points A and B. (Postulate 3)

Now, since the point A is the center of the circle CDB, therefore AC equals AB. (Definition 15)

Again, since the point B is the center of the circle CAE, therefore BC equals BA. (Definition 15)

But AC was proved equal to AB, therefore each of the straight lines AC and BC equals AB.

And things which equal the same thing also equal one another, therefore AC also equals BC. (Common Notion 1)

Therefore the three straight lines AC, AB, and BC equal one another.

Therefore the triangle ABC is equilateral, and it has been constructed on the given finite straight line AB.

---

Postulate 3: (Let it have been granted) To describe a circle with any center and distance.

Definition 15: A circle is a plane figure contained by one line such that all the straight lines falling upon it from one point among those lying within the figure are equal to one another.

Common Notion 1: Things which are equal to the same thing are also equal to one another.

---

For everyone who does not live within a reasonable distance of either Annapolis or Sante Fe, I'm sorry; you should consider moving. For everyone who does, you should enroll in the Graduate Institute today:

Students in the Liberal Arts program explore the persisting questions of human existence by studying classic works of the western tradition, organized into five semester-long thematic segments: Philosophy and Theology, Politics and Society, Literature, Mathematics and Natural Science, and History. Students earn a Master of Arts in Liberal Arts (M.A.L.A.) by completing four of these five segments. A common curriculum provides the basis for a shared intellectual community; discussion with fellow students and faculty is the mode of learning both inside and outside the classroom. In order to accommodate a wide range of students, a number of options provide for flexibility: students may begin the program in the fall, spring, or summer semester, may take the segments in a number of different sequences, and may take time off between segments.

Each semester students attend a seminar, a tutorial, and a preceptorial - all carried out as small-group discussions under the guidance of St. John's faculty members (called tutors). These three types of classes are the framework of the distinctive St. John's educational experience.

During the fall and spring semesters, classes in the Liberal Arts program are held two evenings per week to permit students to maintain part-time or full-time employment while engaged in the program.

The school seal: ("I make free people out of children by means of books and a balance.")

Amazing Collection of Library Pictures

Joseph Patterson — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 01:38:13 +0000

I was really impressed with this collection of various libraries.

[gallery]

See more of this large collection of library pictures at Curious Expeditions.

Yet again defending the university mission

Miriam Jones — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 16:16:32 +0000

Following are excerpts from Stan Persky's "A 'D' for Margaret Wente: Globe pundit Wente: Right answers? Why she's is wrong that too many kids go to college," The Tyee (June 23/08), in which he grades Margaret Wente's "Who needs university anyway?" Globe and Mail (May 24/08):

If post-secondary education is just for job-training, as Wente seems to imply, then maybe there are indeed too many young people in university.

If post-secondary education is for educating informed citizens, inspiring critical thinkers, and developing cultivated people, then maybe there aren't enough young people in colleges and universities. The only question then would be, as Wente puts it, are the people who aren't currently in university smart enough to be there? …

Wente is also right to complain about the universities, but misguided in seeing their main fault as caving in to the pressures of the market by lowering standards in a bid to retain students at any costs, and thus creating a false "inflation" of university-educated people (to say nothing of "grade inflation"). What's gone wrong with the universities is that they've bought in (or have been forced to buy in by the marketplace) to the idea that they're job training centres, rather than places to educate citizens, acculturate people, and stimulate the ability to think for one's self. What's more, the misdirection of post-secondary schooling is exacerbated by market pressures to adopt industrial methods of instruction.

Sound familiar?

The Conferences

Joseph Patterson — Sun, 22 Jun 2008 21:25:21 +0000

I am presently doing a directed study at Faulkner University in there MLA program. I am reading and discussing The Conferences by St. John Cassian with one of the professors. I have been surprised at the number of people who have never heard of St. John Cassian since he has been very influential concerning monasticism in the west.

St. John Cassian (360-430) and his friend Germanus traveled through the Egyptian desert in search of holy elders who could teach them how to gain purity of heart. The Conferences record twenty-four dialogues that St. John Cassian and Germanus had with some of these holy elders. The thirteenth conference is one of the most popular since it is St. John Cassian's critique of Augustine's view of grace and free will. Many scholars claim that St. John Cassian was never canonized in the west because of his views that are recorded in the thirteenth conference.

I am reading The Conferences in order to study the education model of the Egyptian desert fathers.I am asking, "what can we learn from this model of education that can be applied to a classical liberal arts education?" After we finish the 852 pages of The Conferences we will be reading some other writings of the desert fathers and then compare and contrast the desert education with the liberal arts education set forth by Hugh of St. Victor in his Didascalicon.

The Great Books of the Western World

Admin — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 03:17:50 +0000

Recently I acquired the entire set of the 1952 Great Books series from my grandmother, who kept them in her library after my grandfather died. She no longer has any use for them and gave them to me during my recent visit. Naturally I couldn't haul all of them back with me, but was able to carry back enough books to keep me busy for a while. The series was published by Encyclopedia Britannica and, if my memory serves me well, it stretches 50 volumes deep with an additional, complementary study guide that stretches about 10.

The first volume is titled The Great Conversation and is not a literary classic like the others, but a preface to the series written by the editors. It's very much a critique of modern education, faulting it for neglecting classical literature--and more importantly, good literature--and instead trying to co-opt children into early career paths:

Since the pupil is not committed to the occupation, the proposition that the occupation that are to be studied are those which are indicated by the needs and interests of the pupil at the time is alarming. Between the ages of six and fourteen I wanted, in rapid succession, to be an iceman (a now extinct occupation), a "motorman" on the horse cars (also extinct), a fireman, a postman, a policeman, a professional baseball player, and a missionary. The notion that what my teachers should have done was to offer me study of these occupations as the fancy for each of them took me is so startling (12-13)...

You should see all the sour faces people make and noises they sound when I tell them I study Latin in college. Their response is always, what are you going to use that for? I never know how to answer, and usually apologize. It's as if somehow, to be educated in academia, is a waste of time. I'm sorry, but most of the branches of higher education are nothing more than trade school. This is fine, but not at the extent of marginalizing the liberal arts.

Occupational Outlook Quarterly: What Can I Do with My Liberal Arts Degree?

cwslibrary — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 23:39:32 +0000

What can I do with my liberal arts degree?
U.S. Department of Labor
U.S. Bureau of Statistics
Winter 2007-08
Click here for pdf of article by Diana Gehlhaus.

Traveling to Dublin

Lisa Forrest — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 15:30:55 +0000

I've been busy preparing for my upcoming presentation at the 27th International Conference on the First Year Experience to be held in Dublin, Ireland. I'll be presenting with Professor Laurence Shine, and former Learning Community student, Wendy Hilleran, on the subject of liberal arts and libraries in a digitized world. In part, our presentation is what sparked the idea for this blog...presenting the library as a community-forming force in the "machinery of night" (AKA: Higher Education). We'll be discussing the important role of learning communities (and libraries) in today's liberal arts education. Here's a little bit from our introduction:

Undergraduate education in the United States is often referred to as a commodity—a branding of “mass general education” not unlike the production lines of Henry Ford. Students are offered a menu of largely unrelated lecture courses which accommodate many students but provide little sense of community. Ideally, the Liberal Arts should help students understand their relationship to the world at large—but instead many students are encouraged to get their liberal arts course work “out of the way.” The college becomes a “teaching machine”—more concerned with pumping out credit hours than creating knowledge. In the process of this impersonalized approach to education, the academic library can serve as a stabilizing force—providing community, a place for scholarly discourse and showcasing of creativity, social networking, quality resources, new technologies, and personalized assistance from skilled librarians. Yet, many students and faculty appear apathetic to a liberal arts education—and the library-- reflecting the apparent disconnect of the education system as a whole.

There are Colleges (and “colleges within the college” such as Learning Communities) with strong liberal arts emphasis. This emphasis includes intense interactions between students and faculty. The curriculum is challenging and integrated across courses, and includes the library as a key component to academic success. Extracurricular activities which relate to the curriculum are encouraged as critical elements to learning. Do these things really make a difference?

A 2005 Higher Education Report suggests that a strong liberal arts emphasis during the first year results in higher critical thinking abilities, and positive attitudes towards literacy and reading comprehension.

The overall disconnect of the system in regards to literacy is apparent in the 2006 study by the National Endowment for the Arts showing the percentage of 17 year old non-readers doubling over a 20 year period. While this age group spends approximately 7 minutes a day reading (online or print), they manage to watch about 2 ½ hours of TV per day. Freshmen spend more than an hour each day on both social networking sites and text messaging. As educators, should we worry? A 2007 study by Levine demonstrates a direct correlation between distractibility for academic tasks and time spent Instant Messaging. The same study shows that the amount of time spent reading books negatively related to academic distractibility.

With the popularity of social networking sites, “Google” based research, and availability of electronic journals and books, how can brick and mortar libraries remain relevant places for scholarly discourse?

Many libraries have reinvented themselves under a new model of service called “The Information Commons.” This model of service brings together a variety of services—including writing, research, advisement, and computer assistance. The Information Commons provides a “place” for social networking and showcasing of creative and scholarly achievements—oftentimes with focus on the liberal arts. Most importantly, the library provides opportunities for personalized assistance by skilled librarians. Librarians are often one of the few “constants” in the Undergraduate experience: present and readily available throughout the student’s entire academic career. In this sense, libraries, librarians, and the liberal arts serve as the Starry Dynamo – providing a sense of community within the dark and expansive “Machinery of Night.”

***************

We are hoping to generate some good discussion about the role of Learning Communities, Librarians, Libraries, and the Liberal Arts. I'll report back when I return on June 28th! Cheers!

Wha

Sobre "A Student's guide to Liberal Learning" de James Schall

condottiero — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 16:41:23 +0000

Salí de la universidad y me di cuenta de que nada (bueno, casi nada) de lo que me recomendaron leer me fue útil. La mayoría de las cosas que leí las descubrí mientras caminaba y sólo algunas sugerencias las recuerdo con mucha estima.

Ayer leí un corto libro que confirmó que no estaba sólo en esto. Ciertamente a Mises lo vine a conocer y leer en la universidad. A Hayek y Rand los conocía desde antes. De libros de historia no hay ninguno bueno que de acá recuerde. Leí el libro de Weber con el Dr. de la Torre y la Rebelión de la Granja. Aparte de eso, cientos de inútiles fotocopias y débiles catedráticos que no pudieron enseñarme la verdad de las cosas. Pero se vale. Son pocos los catedráticos que pueden tomar el tiempo de dedicarse a enseñar la verdad de la cátedra que imparten a sus alumnos. No es su culpa, es sólo su excusa.

Del libro, he leído solamente 6 libros de los que son mencionados a lo largo de sus 54 páginas. Hay quizás unos 100 más que nunca había escuchado. Por suerte no tengo ya 40 años y me queda mucho tiempo para leer.

Lo recomiendo para todos aquellos que no han leído más de 100 libros a lo largo de sus vidas. O que aún no han empezado a crear su biblioteca personal. En algo estoy en desacuerdo con el autor, el que todos los grandes clásicos o "great books" se contradigan no es razón suficiente para criticar los programas como el de St. John que tanto me entusiasma. Al final, es el rol de los catedráticos y la madurez del alumno la que permitirá identificar esas contradicciones y encontrar la verdad.

Their gen, my gen, your gen. From the 60's radicals...to now, some thoughts about activism and why a logo might be a bad thing for Generation Target-Market...

vbonnaire — Wed, 28 May 2008 20:14:50 +0000

Well, this morning over at one of my favorite blogs, No Quarter, there was a post up about how Tom Hayden supports Obama. Hayden comes from that generation of activists who were anti-war. The Vietnam war. My question is, what sort of activism has he been doing in regards to Greens of late? What about this war? We don't see anything like the level of protests that went on back then, do we?

My sense is that Hayden would still be anti-war. So many are, here, now. But? (And this is just practical) Don't we need somebody at the helm who could actually end it? I think that's the Clintons. It's just practical. They already know how to do that. Hillary Clinton is younger than Hayden. He was born in 1939. Way older than I, except, so many of us from Obama's generation were anti-war, too, weren't we?

The massive social movements rocked, rolled and reeled their way through the 70's, depending on where you lived. Yesterday, we talked about Hippies and Yippies and Yuppies a little. Today, we'll talk about the big sell out, by the radicals of old. It's a curious thing to see history repeat itself, but, who is protesting what? Why? And where is it leading?

First, this is a brief summary from National Review in order to revisit the era of the 60's -- mostly so you can see (or remember, or learn about) who some of these figures were that you are reading about now, and they are also in the wikipedia. A really good movie to watch is called "Coming Home" -- Jane Fonda was in that, and it is all about the Vietnam War, soldiers and veterans. It will give you an idea of what the times looked like, then. Here is that article about Hayden and the Radicals. It's called "Obama, the Closer."

Obama is constanly trying to wash his hands of the Baby Boom. But, actually, he's part of it. Like me, tail-end. This made the two of us closer to GenX. If you think about the transition in the late 70's early 80's and you trace it through music, you can see the evolution of rock and roll into punk. That's my gen. The radicals had started social activism, protests and feminism as movements. Those things came true. For the women of Hillary Clinton's gen. And beyond, into mine. Down to your age bracket, except? Maybe you feel cheated.

If you are under 30, or even mid thirties, I'm going to guess you've been on meds at some point in your life. Maybe you got a fat diagnosis by somebody who called you ADHD or depressed. Your generation had no social activism. Your generation is like a "solo" deal. More than likely you grew up glued to your computer? Hayden's gen, Hillary's gen, and my gen didn't. Our lives were a lot freer.

Also, we knew how to think for ourselves, because in those days, we got fabulous educations. We had really great teachers, and lots of money was spent on us, even if we went to public schools. Probably, we had Liberal Arts educations, as undergrads. Now, the Humanities are not being taught. That is a horrible thing, and a sad thing.

Larry has a post up about rioting if Obama is not elected. Well? Why would you feel the need to riot about that? We vote here. There are three different people to vote for this time around. You get a choice. Two of them will lose. That's how it goes.

I would imagine that our government would step in to quell riots, if it came to that. It's not clear what the issue is though? Would the riot be for ending the war? Would the riot be for Black Power? Would the riot be for a person? It's just not clear what the cause is. One thing is very clear. David Axelrod has orchestrated a massive target marketing campaign. Because the techniques used are those from corporate America in order to sell his client like a brand.

So you think about it. Is a logo worth rioting for? Is it the end of the war? More war? Or do you just want to be able to vote for the person you want?

You are going to get that chance, or have already had it. People from Obama's generation know how important this election is to our country. We all have our own thoughts about that. Perhaps the answer to this is to let all three run in the fall. Just assume there are three candidates on the ballot. Then the U.S. could vote, "their way." Somebody will lose, that's a given. Somebody will win. Nobody wants a candidate stuffed down their throats do they? We vote here for a reason. If that is changing, now, what sort of country do you think we will be living in? I wanted Gore, and he lost to a hanging chad.

Here is that post from NQ, and the comments people made. If this election weren't so important or so historic you wouldn't see so much dialogue, research, debate, argument or even fury. Or satire. Nobody can figure the damn thing out. They just want who they want, and that's it.

Super Delegates: Vote Obama or Else [UPDATED] »

By Larry Johnson on May 27, 2008 at 9:53 PM in Current Affairs | 291 Comments

Obamatons are making not so subtle threats against the Super Delegates–elect Obama or there will be blood in the streets. Leading supporters of Obama are the messengers of doom. Consider Tom Hayden, one of the mainstays of a group called “Progressives for Obama.” He was on NPR this week and said:

“If there were the theft of a nomination, if that was the perception of the Obama supporters, then probably there would be a ‘68 scenario.”

Theft. How in the hell is it theft? Neither Barack nor Hillary have won enough delegates to win the election. Barack has 1661 and Hillary has 1499. CNN maintains you need 2026 to win the nomination. So, you don’t have to be real smart to realize that both candidates do not yet have enough votes and will require the support of the Super Delegates in order to win. In other words, it is in the hands of Super Delegates.

Leave it to Barack’s folks to threaten race riots. Intimidation through the threat of violence, even race violence, is one of Obama’s insidious weapons in stampeding super delegates like a herd. Here’s a radical alternative. Let’s use reason and intelligence. Is that feasible?

For starters, Super Delegates should take a look at the terrific analysis presented by Peniel Cronin. Cronin uses cold hard facts to demonstrate that Hillary, not Barack, is most deserving of the support of the Super Delegates. She has won more votes and won more in states that will count for Democrats come the fall. I challenge any Obamaton to refute these facts. Please download and read: 2008caucusreport.pdf

But the Obama fantasy train wants passengers to believe that Hillary is behind. That Hillary cannot win. It is a damn lie. Read the rest

Thanks Axelrod. You really pulled off a number here didn't you? On purpose, Alinsky-style. But, I think you just thought the whole feminist vote was dead, babe.

Nope. We already know who we want, just like you know who you want. Keep threatening like this? Did you really intend another Republican win? You'll get that. From the comments alone on the blogs I frequent, that's the trend du jour.

Some times we live in. I guarantee you, though, this is definitely not the 1970's. We've all been through that already. Haven't we? If you want to fight something, why don't you fight those who target market to you?

If I were you? I wouldn't let them get away with it. An artist I met in here called Flineo makes fab films commenting on this whole thing...here is the latest...

liberal arts

aquilolumen — Wed, 28 May 2008 07:45:54 +0000

i guess going to a liberal arts college could equip me with the skills and knowledge necessary to pontificate something worth shit.

nah. not necessary. it's more fun to come up with it on your own.

"The Trivium by Sister Miriam Joseph, A Viable Alternative to Gottschall's Proposal for Scientific Hegemony"

Paul Weinhold — Mon, 19 May 2008 21:44:06 +0000

Joseph, Sister Miriam. The Trivium: The Liberal Arts of Logic, Grammar, and Rhetoric. Marguerite McGlinn Ed. Philadelphia: Paul Dry Books, 2002. 292 pp. $18.95

In a recent post, I oppose Jonathan Gottschall's argument in favor of literary science, maintaining that Gottschall correctly perceives the general problems of contemporary literary criticism while also maintaining that his proposed solution is unwarranted. I have not yet unfolded a constructive solution of my own, although I hinted that the solution is an art, really a synthesis of three liberal arts: grammar, logic, and rhetoric. This review essay is my attempt to advance a much-needed alternative to Gottschall's proposal, an alternative represented by Sister Miriam Joseph's The Trivium. If Gottschall desires evidence that is "Sure, Firm, Gradually Accumulated, New, Durable, Steadily Built, and Solid," and not, "Theoretical, Speculative, Irrelevant, Wandering, Circuitous, or Bending to Fashion and the Pronouncements of False Leaders," then he need not look outside the liberal arts (DucksandDrakes). As Sister aptly demonstrates, verifiable data already exists within the arts of grammar, logic, and rhetoric; and that data is a sufficient pool of evidence from which to draw interpretive conclusions. It behooves literary critics, then, both to cultivate these arts by teaching them in the university and to employ them in their own research and writing.

I will outline briefly the content of The Trivium, after which I will note the relevance of Sister's methodology, along with a few critiques.

Sister begins with two introductory chapters, "The Liberal Arts" and "The Nature and Function of Language." In the first, she discusses the distinction between trivium (grammar, logic, and rhetoric) and quadrivium (arithmetic, music, geometry, and astronomy). The trivium, she argues, is a synthesis of "three arts of language pertaining to the mind," while the quadrivium is a synthesis of "four arts of quantity pertaining to matter" (3). She then proffers a taxonomy of each individual art in relation to the liberal arts as a whole. In the second chapter, Sister delineates the imitative and symbolic nature of language, as well as its logical, psychological, and phonetic aspects.

Three chapters on grammar follow: "General Grammar," which surveys the parts of speech and syntax; "Terms and their Grammatical Equivalents: Definition and Division," which surveys the classification, extension, and intension of terms; and "Propositions and their Grammatical Expression," which surveys proposition and predication.

Passing from grammar to logic, Sister provides three chapters on deductive logic that address syllogism and the relations of simple, hypothetical, and disjuncitive propositions. These chapters thoroughly address deductive logic and are the book's greatest strength. Then follows a chapter on logical fallacies, and then one on inductive logic.

Lamentably, Sister gives rhetoric short shrift. A single chapter, "Composition and Reading," is all she offers. Someone should augment The Trivium by writing new chapters on rhetoric; Sister leaves ample opportunity. Another, though minor, critique is Sister's hierarchical style and organization. Though her taxonomy is well-wrought and its clarity is one of the book's strengths, it can also grow tiresome for lack of narrative. A new Trivium would do well to weave together Sister's precise categories and a cogent line of argumentation. Still, The Trivium stands on its own because it is a repository of wisdom vital to the success of literary criticism. I ardently recommend it.

Now to the point: why is The Trivium a viable alternative to Gottschall's proposal for scientific hegemony? Because Sister's interpretive criteria are simultaneously literary and verifiable. First, The Trivium is distinctively literary because Sister does not abstract logic but roots it in language. Language humanizes logic because it allows logic to mingle with the psychological, rhetorical, and poetic realities that exist in human experience. Sister's approach to logic is thus a valuable corrective to Gottschall's borrowing from the sciences, which are properly concerned with isolating quantities of matter and not integrating qualities of mind. Second, The Trivium proffers verifiable criteria for interpretation because Sister explicates the intricacies of language with exquisite precision. Once inculcated in the arts of language, the literary critic has not just sufficient data for analysis, but a surfeit. The evidence provided by the arts of language is "Sure, Firm, Gradually Accumulated, New, Durable, Steadily Built, and Solid," as Gottschall demands. A syllogism is either valid or invalid, a sentence grammatically either correct or not, an essay either persuasive or not. Knowing the difference requires dedication to the arts of language, which provide premises from which we draw conclusions about texts.

If Gottschall disagrees with his discipline, if he feels constricted by the duties of a literary critic, then that is unfortunate. He should not burden himself with the title, for he has already renounced it in practice.

Помисли и спечели

lyd — Fri, 09 May 2008 07:48:18 +0000

Днес би било смехотворно да се философства ако не познаваш поне строежа на клетката, принципите на които е изграден геномът и основните природни закони. Човек би трябвало да направи сравнение между живата и неживата природа, за да осъзнае, че светът е повече от физика, химия и математика, ако има амбицията да направи пробив в областта на информационните технологии.

Когато ученият изгуби надежда и вдъхновение, би могъл да се обърне към литературата и музиката, за да си спомни, че човек има божествена искра.

В този свят икономистите ми изглеждат най-близо до гледащите на кафе.

Получаваш пакетче дъвка ако споделиш предположенията си дали тези размишления ме правят щастлива и какво ме е довело до тях.

Ако те кефя, гласувай за мен.

The University of Dallas, Catholicism and Liberal Arts

Publicola — Thu, 08 May 2008 09:05:33 +0000

Let us begin by looking at the University of Dallas’ slogan: A Catholic University for Independent Thinkers. What can this possibly mean? The University of Dallas was founded in 1956, set on the verge of the sexual revolution and the rejection tradition values; the University set itself up as a beacon to all those individuals who wanted the tools to push back this new onslaught. Today we are still in the grips of these two radical revolutions and the need for solders to return us to a better time are needed more than ever. The University of Dallas still proclaims herself to be “A Catholic University for Independent Thinkers”.

Why is UD so important? Some may say that the University has an archaic way of thinking. Others might argue that the University is closed minded for not succumbing to the popular culture. The University of Dallas provides the world with a way to remember where it came from and where it ought to return. The University has set itself up to re-institute the notion that there is morality and that it is universal; that there are wrong opinions and that there is truth. In today’s world you can have any opinion you want, as long as it is not conservative, nor religious. If one can find morality in today's world it is relativistic, not universal. People who don’t fall into this hideous trap must have a place of refuge; one where they can study the tradition that has been handed down for more than 5,000 years.

What good is a liberal education? The liberal arts are intended to teach someone how to think, what truth is and how it is applicable to one's own life. The modern university system has created a world where people are trained like monkeys to perform a specific task and nothing else. UD has realized the importance of a true liberal arts education and maintained it for a half century. Liberal education isn’t for the greedy, who only want to get an education so they can go to med school or law school and make hundreds of thousands of dollars. No, liberal education is for those who want to genuinely help those around them.

In the end the University of Dallas provides Catholic persons with a working knowledge of the western tradition. People who think that the western tradition is wrong, or think that morality doesn't exist or that truth is whatever one makes of it need not apply. By Catholic methinks the University doesn’t entirely mean one who proscribes to the Catholic faith. Catholic means universal, and by that contrast of today’s relativism we can find that even Protestants, Jews, Muslims, Hindus and Buddhists can come here and thrive. Catholicism is the hallmark of western religious thought. The Catholic Church has kept the western tradition alive for nearly two-thousand years. The University of Dallas has survived for fifty years trying to instill in each student the knowledge of the western tradition. It truly is a Catholic school for Independent Thinkers. There is proof in the University that the western tradition still matters and that there are people still interested in learning it.

Being Born an Individual

clary — Tue, 06 May 2008 14:35:36 +0000

"You have to avoid being just one of the crowd and instead take the chance of being born an individual." from Dark Nights of the Soul by Thomas Moore

How hard is it to change directions in life, to make adjustments, to recreate oneself? We become accostumed to what has been part of our routine and stability ignoring the fact that in time we have become stagnant, unhappy and unsatisfied. In three words, We Stop Growing(WSG). To pretend to live our life in the same manner all the time is not logical. Our daily experiences and challenges transform us into a more developed and whole individual.

Dark nights plunges us into the depths of our being pressing us into exploring what needs to be changed or revealed. For years we have gone along with the social circles and what is expected of us. We learn quickly how to integrate ourselves with the rest of society, which is good, but in the process we forget how not to lose our individuality. Individuality based on our self-knowledge along with well rooted human and spiritual principles are the key to our well-being and happiness.

"Speaking of human nature also reminds us that there is a unity and solidarity belonging to the whole human race. For this reason, man is to be considered "in the full truth of his existence, of his personal being and also of his community and social being" (Encyclical Redemptor hominis, n. 14)." excerpt from MAN'S DIGNITY STEMS FROM HIS SPIRITUAL NATURE

Some people manage to make manifest their individuality sooner than others, like Albert Einstein who at 15 years old realized that he had to make his own way in the world. I believe that's the reason why he was able accomplish so much and benefit society with his own individual development; because he began to live early on, the life destined to him.

It is a shame that most of us spend half our life before we find ourselves before the path we need to decide to walk on. When life becomes unbearable because we have denied our self-realization we often find ourselves at a crossroads, in that moment our whole being screams to be born again. It's the divine calling us to become who we were meant to be before is too late. It is the awakening from the numbness created by a life full of everyone's goals and dreams but our own.

I truly believe that education should be based upon the Liberal Arts, in it our minds are developed to analyze, absorb and integrate our individual human capabilities given to us by God into whatever field our work will contribute and ultimately benefit humanity.

###
Clary Lopez, author of Simplicity, Richness of Life

Bachelor's Degrees are So Passé

Emily Fisher — Mon, 05 May 2008 17:53:06 +0000

I graduated from college with a degree in English, which to some means I have a BA in absolutely nothing. I prefer to believe the parents and professors out there who claim that a liberal arts education is about learning how to think (yes, often at the expense of actual workplace skills). Perhaps I am naive; The Chronicle of Higher Education published a discouraging piece about the worthlessness of the bachelor's degree. Graduation rates are down, the quality of the education is in question, and the degree itself means less and less. But for those still excited about heading off to college -- and congrats on getting in, it's harder than ever -- the Washington Post offers a very basic primer about what to expect. The Post also printed a refreshing essay arguing that many of the students matriculating at top-tier schools are impressively brainy and ambitious -- but not exactly kind. And as for recent graduates, take comfort (or not) in knowing that entry-level wages have been falling since 2001. You may be destitute, but you are not alone.

A Classroom Path to Entrepreneurship - New York Times

Jordi — Thu, 01 May 2008 01:23:38 +0000

Our own MG 101 is still a pioneer in this. And they fold in service-learning!

A Classroom Path to Entrepreneurship - New York Times
The course at Monmouth is one of thousands of similar offerings on campuses across the United States. Undergraduate courses in how to start and run a small business are becoming as ubiquitous as Economics 101. Gone is the conventional wisdom that running a small business cannot be learned by sitting in a classroom.

Well at least we're not alone.

Miriam Jones — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 19:55:56 +0000

A thoughtful blog post by Bert Olivier, professor of philosophy at Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University in Port Elizabeth, South Africa, on the roles of universities and professional training institutions. A sample paragraph:

What I am talking about is what seems to me to be the drift towards a narrowing down of the “function” of a university in the traditional, constantly self-renewing sense, towards an institution which merely serves the needs of the community as determined by current economic and social needs, by focusing mainly on the training of “professionals”. The fact that, since the merger of the PE Technikon, Vista PE and the University of Port Elizabeth, the institution (and others like it) has been known as a “comprehensive institution”, instead of a university, plain and simple (despite the fact that it bears the name of a university). The question that this raises is: Does the training of professionals at such a tertiary institution preclude the maintenance of the character of a university as an institution that encourages and cultivates critical thinking, or does it presuppose this character?