Allan Bloom on the Value of the Ancients, or The Closing of the American Classics Department

2016 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
pp. 151-160
Author(s):  
Eric Adler
Keyword(s):  
Author(s):  
Mark R. Schwehn

In this thoughtful and literate study, Schwehn argues that Max Weber and several of his contemporaries led higher education astray by stressing research--the making and transmitting of knowledge--at the expense of shaping moral character. Schwehn sees an urgent need for a change in orientation and calls for a "spiritually grounded education in and for thoughtfulness." The reforms he endorses would replace individualistic behavior, the "doing my own work" syndrome derived from the Enlightenment, with a communitarian ethic grounded in Judeo-Christian spirituality. Schwehn critiques philosophies of higher education he considers misguided, from Weber and Henry Adams to Derek Bok, Allan Bloom, and William G. Perry Jr. He draws out valid insights, always showing the theological underpinnings of the so-called secular thinkers. He emphasizes the importance of community, drawing on both the secular communitarian theory of Richard Rorty and that of the Christian theorist Parker Palmer. Finally, he outlines his own prescription for a classroom-centered spiritual community of scholars. Schwehn's study will interest all those concerned with higher education in America today: faculty, students, parents, alumni, administrators, trustees, and foundation officers.


1990 ◽  
Vol 60 (2) ◽  
pp. 205-217 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Orr

Where does the campus fit into the biosphere? What role should universities play in the struggle to save the environment? Although critics, such as Allan Bloom, have recently accused liberal arts institutions of failing to educate college youth properly, few have addressed the question of how colleges and universities might make students more aware and responsible about their place in the natural world. In this article David Orr offers a rationale for incorporating environmental concerns into the curricula of higher education and suggests examples of curricular innovations, including programs for restructuring the ways colleges procure food, deal with waste, and use energy. Orr shows us how a focus on the ecosystem of the college campus can broaden students' visions of the natural world in which they live.


1993 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 10-11
Author(s):  
Herbert London
Keyword(s):  

1989 ◽  
Vol 37 (1) ◽  
pp. 17-19 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. J. Mandt
Keyword(s):  

Academe ◽  
1988 ◽  
Vol 74 (1) ◽  
pp. 6
Author(s):  
Charles G. Wilber ◽  
John Graham ◽  
Patrick Brantlinger ◽  
Robert L. Armacost ◽  
Robert C. Solomon ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
The Real ◽  

2020 ◽  
pp. 209-225
Author(s):  
Sławomir Drelich

Ayn Rand and Allan Bloom are among the most well-known American critics of the contemporary universities. They both point out that the crisis of modern university is a reflection of a much broader crisis of contemporary culture. The purpose of this text is to present the arguments of both thinkers, which confirm the diagnosis of the university crisis. In Rand and Bloom’s work we can find the characteristics of a number of symptoms of this crisis. The most important are: 1) the political and ideological entanglement of the university environment; 2) all-encompassing skepticism; 3) the lack of a coherent vision of reality; 4) irrationality and departure from reason; 5) the postulate of neutrality and the avoidance of moral judgments; 6) retreat from philosophy and humanistic education.


2008 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
pp. 81-83
Author(s):  
Michael Zuckert
Keyword(s):  

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