Modern Conceptions of Liberal Education →
/How do modern conceptions of liberal education and the university bear on issues of teaching and learning?
I argue that the core mission of the university is inquiry and that the projects of teaching and learning should be conceived within that framework. The goal of inquiry is the improvement, including the expansion, of our knowledge. The principal means for achieving this goal are the development of our rational powers (in the broadest sense) and the pursuit of research (in very nearly the broadest sense as well). The former task is primarily the job involved in pursuing a liberal education, the primary aim of which is learning how—both individually and collectively—to live better lives.
