A Liberal Education

Russ interviewed Pano Kanelos, the President of St. John's College, notably about the future of education and why a liberal education is important.  Russ has recently moved to Israel to become President of Shalem College.  The two discuss why a liberal education has fallen in esteem in recent decades and why they think it is perhaps the most important aspect of education.  St. John's, which is one of the oldest colleges in the United States (established 1696), bases its curriculum on the Great Books.  Too much of modern education is providing technical skills of a particular field (engineering, computer science, etc.), which is more in line with practical trades rather than higher learning.  Both Roberts and Kanelos hold that education should produce thoughtful people rather than a barcoded product with specific knowledge on narrow subjects.  Kanelos says that "education is not the acquisition of knowledge.  It's the acquisition of wisdom."  Precisely.

An excellent discussion with thoughts on why the humanities have been in decline for decades and how that trend might be reversed.  As one who pursued a liberal education, I wish them luck.