Extra: Charlotte Thomas on Learning and the Liberal Arts

What is education? According to Charlotte Thomas, it is more than learning algebra or trade economics. Education is opening oneself to ideas. It is the development of capacities. It is becoming. 

Listen to the episode here: Charlotte Thomas on Learning and the Liberal Arts

Charlotte Thomas is a professor of philosophy and Great Books at Mercer University. She also runs the Association for Core Texts and Courses. She is also the author of The Female Drama: The Philosophical Feminine in the Soul of Plato’s Republic.

In this podcast, Thomas points a Liberal Arts education is the becoming of one who is free to self-regulate and self-guide. Though each field is worth learning in its own right, in the context of the whole, the liberal arts engage with the world in ways necessary for someone to become free. They equip their students with the independence, intellect, and character to self-govern. They teach students to read, write, talk, and listen. 

The format for learning is just as important as the material being taught. Those subjects with practical and moral implications such as playing a musical instrument or crafting policy require application. Learning more theoretical topics does not rely on the added texture of application. Lectures by experts and professors are valuable, but seminars that engage and converse with students allows books to develop the students. You should read Shakespeare for Shakespeare but read him with friends so that you learn about yourself and how to think while you learn Shakespeare. 

Thomas also points out that while the classroom is the most effective way of learning, it is not the only way to learn. Opportunities to read books, converse with people, and follow your curiosity abound. You are constantly developing, if you only take the time to notice. 
 

1.     What is the defining characteristic of a liberal art? 

2.     How does the redefinition of “education as becoming” challenge or inspire K-12 education today? How does it challenge or inspire university education? 

The true test of a liberal inclination: are you interested in learning more?
Cheryl Miller on Hertog and the Humanities, a Great Antidote podcast
Zena Hitz on Lost in Thought, an EconTalk podcast
Charlotte Thomas, Adam Smith and Aristotle at AdamSmithWorks
Why Read the Ancients Today? A Liberty Matters Forum at the Online Library of Liberty

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