Philosophy in the Community: Re-envisioning the Liberal Arts
What exactly are the liberal arts and what is their place in education?
This community lecture and discussion series is organized by the Department of Philosophy to share the rewards and pleasures of philosophical reflection.
Friday, Oct. 19
7–9 pm
The Refinery, Emmanuel Anglican Church Basement
609 Dufferin Ave
Info: emer.ohagan@usask.ca| usask.ca/philosophy/community
Re-envisioning the Liberal Arts
by Derek Postnikoff (Department of Mathematics and Statistics)
For much of history, pursuing higher education meant studying the liberal arts. Many people still endorse this viewpoint, considering liberal arts education to be the bedrock of a democratic society. On the other hand, a growing faction views liberal arts programs as elitist, subversive, and detrimentally impractical, championing vocational and professional training instead. But what exactly are the liberal arts? This talk will consider past, present, and possible meanings of this term, and make several positive suggestions aimed at reaching a mutually satisfactory understanding of the place of the liberal arts in education.