Liberal Education

Libreal education is about learning to learn, to think for yourself, on your own and in collaboration with others. Liberal educations leads us away from naive acceptance of authority, above self-defeating relativism and beyond ambiguous contextualism. It culminates in principled reflective judgement. Learning critical thinking, cultivating the critical spirit is not just a means to this end, but is a part of the goal itself. Yes, there is much more to a liberal education, than critical thinking. There is an understanding of the methods, principles, theories and ways of achieving knowledge which are proper to the different intellectual realms. There is an encounter with the cultural, artistic and spiritual dimensions of life. There is the evolution of one*s decision making to the level of principled integrity and concern for the common good and social justice. There is the realization of the ways all our lives are shaped by global as well as local political, social, psychological, economic, environmental, and physical forces. There is the growth that comes from the interaction with cultures, languages, ethnic groups, religions, nationalities, and social classes other than one*s own. There is the refinement of one*s humane sensibilities through reflection on the recurring questions of human existence, meaning, love, life and death. There is the sensitivity, appreciation and critical appraisal of all that is good and all that is bad in the human condition. As the mind awakens and matures, and the proper nurturing and educational nourishment is provided, these others central parts of a liberal education develop as well.

-Peter A Facione