Liberal Education as an Education of Pleasures

Activity: Talk or presentation / Performance / SpeechesTalk or presentation - at conferenceAcademic

Description

Main Keynote Liberal Arts & Sciences education as an education of pleasures Liberal Arts education is often understood as being about having an impact, meeting global challenges and serving society. But education cannot change the world: it can only change people, who can then change the world. This lecture will explore how Liberal Arts education can change students and help them to develop commitment, i.e. an understanding of their own values and the world around them. It will use Georg Hegel’s conception of development and William Perry’s work on the evolution of the intellectual values of students during their education to present a theory of Liberal Arts education centered on the cultivation of commitment. It will argue that this is more important than ever before to be able to contribute to society, whether it be in the economic or civic domain, and to a good life. However, cultivating commitment is an exciting but unpredictable process. It requires exploration, experimentation, and reflection to discover what one likes and believes. As such, it is an education of pleasures. Taking this aspect of Liberal Arts education more seriously will allow students to get to know themselves better, and thereby set the world on fire.
Period12 Jun 2018
Event titleThe Meaning of Liberal Arts and Sciences: 1st Lustrum Conference of Erasmus University College
Event typeConference
LocationRotterdam, NetherlandsShow on map
Degree of RecognitionNational