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The Lost Purpose Of Learning, Joseph Clair
The Lost Purpose Of Learning, Joseph Clair
Faculty Publications - George Fox School of Theology
In the autumn of AD 386, a thirty-two-year-old academic superstar named Aurelius Augustinus made a radical move: He resigned his position as imperial professor of rhetoric in Milan and retired early. The position, as prestigious as an endowed chair of government at Harvard today, represented the pinnacle of intellectual achievement in its time. Yet Augustine was disillusioned, tired of teaching “résumé virtues” to “excellent sheep.” He complained that liberal education in the later Roman Empire had become purposeless and disoriented, preoccupied with the ephemeral aims of career, wealth, and fame. Intellectual and spiritual vitality had vanished from lecture rooms and …
The Lost Purpose Of Learning (Chapter 1 Of On Education, Formation, Citizenship And The Lost Purpose Of Learning), Joseph Clair
The Lost Purpose Of Learning (Chapter 1 Of On Education, Formation, Citizenship And The Lost Purpose Of Learning), Joseph Clair
Faculty Publications - George Fox School of Theology
Excerpt: "College is a rich part of the Western cultural imagination and a canonized plot line in the American middle-class mythos. Although it is costly and time-intensive, there are good reasons to be proud of this tradition and to go away for four years to become adults. After all, college leaves an indelible stamp on the soul: the formative lessons of newfound independence, hard work, and leisure in preparation for the business of life. Few institutions have more nostalgic and patriotic bonds of affection that last as long-and procure as many donations- as college and university alumni associations. Americans talk …