Peter E. Pflaum - Golden Globe - The Synergy Network http://www.wiredbrain.net/ pflaump@cfl.rr.com RE: The End of Liberal Education; Santanna (sp) wrote about the "Last Puritan." I feel like the last Liberal Arts graduate. I graduated from the University of Chicago in the last class to have the core curriculum. (My mother was in the First) We had no electives - there were three year long sequences in the Social Science I,II.II; Humanities, I,II, II, and Natural Science I,II, III, plus Foreign Language, History, Math (Logic), English (compositions) and the Nature and Structure of Knowledge (A cap stone class). ( Went at 16 a very tender age and was duely impressed) Three years based on Aristotle, first year content analysis, second comparison, third year judgment. We could not have opinions until we knew something and could understand the content and compare it with other ideas. I also went to Columbia (General Studies) and LSE (U. of London) with the tutorial system. (St. Johns (Maryland and NM), Reed in OR, Carlton in Minn, Bennington VT, Sara Lawrence, BrynMar, Beloit, Antioch, New College Sarasota, may have some remains of this program). Hutchens(sp) knew that the specialist were taking over undergraduate education - a shopping list was replacing a core curriculum - At one Community College I just visited the English requirement could be offered by the field - ie. Nursing English and math - In Cultural Literary ( a very Silly BOOK) the point is made we don't share a culture. If I refer to the "Grand Inquisitor" scene in The Brothers Karamozov ' who knows what I talking about". My students don't know where Mexico is, or Brazil, or the structure of congress and a conference committee, or the bill of rights, or anything! Specialist are a necessary evil. They talk funny. I learned boat talk, I learned a little computer talk, but the special languages are meaningless to outsiders. What have specialist contributed to human understanding of the "Big Problems?" In economics it's the generalist who communicate to the world (Keynes being in both camps) Adam Smith, Mills, Marx, Marshall, Waldras, Shumpenter, (sp), Samuelson, Freedman, Reich, our old friend Peter Durcker, in Social Science Marx, Durkheim, Murton, Lipsets, Coleman, Redfield, Wallace, Boulding, Commoner, Erlich, Maslow, Mead, Scott Nearing (Living the Good Life), Warren Bennis, Chester Bernard, John Dewey, Rensis Likert, Carl Rogers, Erickson, Schein - Freud, Yung, big writers with something to say to almost everyone. Experience on the net is the same divisions and limitations that specialization on the society as a whole. Schools of Education (Fiske says) are a black hole, Bennett say "Learning is to American Public Schools what communism was to Russian economics." Most social scientist are academics of all trees and no forest types. The map is not the territory. Here is were the rubber hits the sky. Rearrange the duck chairs on the Titanic. Many are even anti-intellectual ( a strong and common American Tradition) You are the best I have found. I love you - thoughtful - open - creative - well trying? My family comes back tomorrow. I have written several good bits among the shaft. My goal was to do that and I lack motivation in talking to myself or an purely illusionary reader. I also needed to find just what I can handle in the time I will have when school begins and the family is its busy self. (Two hours of driving so the Kids can go to a non-public school of 25 students or so) So as a lost (endangered) species - the generalist - interested in Literature, Religion, Philosophy, Economics, Politics, truth, justice and the good, and beautiful I have no home. We need a Catatauaqa (sp) - they still exist in Up- state NY. The death of the Saturday Review - in England they had the Spectator, general interest journal for the people like me. Atlantic is OK, but is really for the NLA types and politics is too PC for me. There is no market for a common culture. We have nothing to say to each other except personal chit chat, sex drugs and rock and roll. ************************************************************ Peter E. Pflaum Ph.D. * THE_SUFI_METHODS pflaump@cfl.rr.com "Mankinds' moral sense is not a strong beacon light, radiating outward to illuminate in sharp outline all that it touches. It is, rather, a small candle flame, casting vague and multiple shadows, flickering and sputtering in the strong winds of power and passion, greed and ideology. But brought close to the heart and cupped it one's hands, it dispels the darkness and warms the soul." James Q. Wilson ************************************************************ pflaump@cfl.rr.com RE: Personal responsibility: (and character) In the Brothers Karamazov, Dostoevski has the Grand Inquisitor interview Christ who has returned. He tell Jesus that ordinary people just aren't up to the challenge of making up their own minds and finding their own way to salvation. Therefore the Church at the sure loss of their own souls - is giving them the way. The Inquisitor knows he can't save souls by formulas and ritual. But this is all people understand and it would be cruel and dangerous to take it away from them. Jesus is just going to have to die again - maybe next time. Ideologies say the same thing - we know better - do this or that and all will be well. People like that. Freedom is not much fun it carries responsibilities.