civilizaţie lma anul ii, semestrul i (curs 2)

8/10/2019 Civilizaie LMA Anul II, Semestrul I (Curs 2)

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The New Liberal Paradigm: Modern Education Principles and Proposals

John Stuart Mill Coleridge (!"#$ and %n Libert& (!'$ (ci)ic education in chapter two$

(indi)idual education in chapter three$ * Matthew +rnold ,Literature and Science- and Thomas

.enr& .u/le& ,Science and the Christian Tradition- (!!$

I. Mills optimistic theorems about the perfectibility of human societies in civic action:

the modern, liberal view of truth

($ +ll students o0 man and societ& (1$ are aware that the besetting danger is not so much o0

embracing 0alsehood 0or truth2 as o0 mista3ing part o0 the truth 0or the whole4 5t might be

plausibl& maintained that in almost e)er& one o0 the leading contro)ersies2 past or present2

in social philosoph&2 both sides were in the right in what the& a00irmed2 though in the wrong

in what the& denied6 and that i0 either could ha)e been made to ta3e the other7s )iews in

addition to its own2 little more would ha)e been needed to ma3e its doctrine correct4 (PE8

5 p4 "'!$

(Truth is a sociall& de0ined 0unction o0 se)eral truths2 pragmatic and s&nthetic4 5t is obtained as a

combination that results a0ter harmonising se)eral partial truths2 as can be possessed b& real

people in concrete circumstances$

(9$ Thus2 it is in regard to e)er& important partial truth6 there are alwa&s two con0licting

modes o0 thought2 one tending to gi)e to that truth too large2 the other to gi)e it too small

a place6 and the histor& o0 opinion is generall& an oscillation between these e/tremes4

(itto2 p4 ";#$14Thus2 e)er& e/cess in either direction determines a corresponding

reaction6 impro)ement consisting onl& in this2 that the oscillation2 each time2 departs rather

less widel& 0rom the centre2 and an e)er


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inherited b& means o0 a closel& super)ised education 0rom his 0ather2 England7s greatest utilitarian

philosopher2 James Mill4

Mill7s case about the role and rules o0 public opinion (5n %n Libert& Chapter 55: On the Liberty of

Thought and iscussion! "anthologi#ed in $%& I, pp '() ! '*'+

.e (man in general2 our note$ is capable o0 recti0&ing his mista3es2 b& discussion and e/perience4

Not b& e/perience alone4 There must be discussion to show how e/perience is to be interpreted4

@rong opinions and practices graduall& &ield to 0act and argument: but 0acts and arguments2 to

produce an& e00ect on the mind2 must be brought be0ore it4 8er& 0ew 0acts are able to tell their

own stor&2 without comments to bring out their meaning4 The whole strength and )alue2 then2 o0

human ?udgment2 depending on the one propert&2 that it can be set right when it is wrong4 (PE8 52

p4 '$

(iscussion2 is the complement o0 thought and e/perience2 which are o0 necessit& limited2 ?ust as

the indi)idual person is4 E/change o0 ideas and e/perience2 howe)er2 i0 conducted according to thelaws o0 ?ustice and rationalit&2 or i0 conducted 0airl& enough can correct errors and ma3e humanit&

as&mptoticall& approach in action what it cannot hope to attain in principle4$

II. Mill, On Liberty hapter III: Of Individuality as One of the %lements of -ell

/eing0 and Matthew 1rnold about /ildung

Mill 0ocused on the Aildung2 the de)elopment o0 the instrument o0 public well


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human beingB 5t reall& is o0 importance2 not onl& what men do2 but also what manner o0 men the&

are that do it4 +mong the wor3s o0 man which human li0e is rightl& emplo&ed in per0ecting and

beauti0&ing2 the 0irst importance surel& is man himsel04 Supposing it were possible to get houses

built2 corn grown2 battles 0ought2 causes tried2 and e)en churches erected and pra&ers said b&

machiner& b& automatons in human 0orm< it would be a considerable loss to e/change 0or these

automatons e)en the men and women who at present inhabit the more ci)ili=ed parts o0 the world2

and who assuredl& are but star)ed specimens built a0ter a model2 and set to do e/actl& the wor3

prescribed 0or it2 but a tree2 which reuires to grow and de)elop itsel0 on all sides2 according to the

tendenc& o0 the inward 0orces which ma3e it a li)ing thing4

The same point is made b& Matthew +rnold7s in ,Literature and Science-2 one o0 his :iscourses in

+merica (!!'$2 in connection with the general education o0 innate 0aculties to ma3e them powers:

+t present it seems to me that those who are 0or gi)ing to natural 3nowledge2 as the& call itDi4e42 to positi)e sciences2 our note the chie0 place in the education o0 the ma?orit& o0 man3ind2

lea)e one important thing out o0 their account: the constitution o0 human nature (14$ DThese2 the

people who are 0or gi)ing to natural 3nowledge the chie0 place can hardl& den& that (1$ the powers

which go to the building up o0 human li0e (1$ are the power o0 conduct2 the power o0 intellect and

3nowledge2 the power o0 beaut&2 and the power o0 social li0e and manners (1$ .uman nature is built

up b& these powers6 we ha)e the need 0or them all4 @hen we ha)e rightl& met and ad?usted the

claims o0 them all2 we shall then be in a 0air wa& 0or getting soberness and righteousness2 with

wisdom4 (%+EL p4 #"F$4

This recalls Newman7s principles in ,The 5dea o0 a Gni)ersit&-

education is a higher word6 it implies an action upon our mental nature2 and the 0ormation o0 a

character6 it is something indi)idual and permanent2 and is commonl& spo3en o0 in connection with

religion and )irtue-4

III. Thomas 2enry 2u3leys esiderata for Modern %ducation

Towards the end o0 the 8ictorian +ge2 alread&2 positi)e2 practical ideas o0 education too3 the upper

hand4 5n Thomas .enr& .u/le&7s words2 education should be pragmatic and a)oid useless scholarship

0or its own sa3e:

5n 0act2 there is a chorus o0 )oices2 almost distressing in their harmon&2 raised in 0a)our o0 the

doctrine that education is the great panacea 0or human troubles2 and that2 i0 the countr& is not

shortl& to go to the dogs2 e)er&bod& must b e educated (1$4

The politicians tell us2 7Hou must educate the masses because the& are going to be masters47 The

clerg& ?oin in the cr& 0or education2 0or the& a00irm that the people are dri0ting awa& 0rom church

and chapel into the broadest in0idelit&4 The manu0acturers and the capitalists swell the chorus


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lustil&4 The& declare that ignorance ma3es bad wor3men6 that England will soon be unable to turn

out cotton goods2 or steam engines2 cheaper than other people6 and then2 5chabodI 5chabodI The

glor& will be departed 0rom us4 +nd a 0ew )oices are li0ted up in 0a)our o0 the doctrine that the

masses should be educated because the& are men and women with unlimited capacities o0 being2

doing2 and su00ering2 that it is as true now2 as it e)er was2 that the people perish 0or lac3 o0

3nowledge

@hat is educationB +bo)e all things2 what is our ideal o0 thoroughl& liberal educationB o0 that

education which2 i0 we could begin li0e again2 we would gi)e oursel)es o0 that education which2 i0

we could mould the 0ates to our own will2 we could gi)e to our childrenB

Education2 .u/le& sa&s2 is the instruction o0 the intellect in the laws o0 Nature2 under which

name 5 include not merel& things and their 0orces2 but men and their wa&s6 and the 0ashioning o0

the a00ections and o0 the will into an earnest and lo)ing desire to mo)e in harmon& with those laws4

civilizaţie lma anul ii, semestrul i (curs 2)

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