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What was it that one learned through a great books curriculum? Certainly not "conservatism" in any contemporary American sense of the term. We were not taught to become American patriots, or religious pietists, or to worship what Rudyard Kipling called "the Gods of the Market Place." We were not instructed in the evils of Marxism, or the glories of capitalism, or even the superiority of Western civilization.
As I think about it, I'm not sure we were taught anything at all. What we did was read books that raised serious questions about the human condition, and which invited us to attempt to ask serious questions of our own. Education, in this sense, wasn't a "teaching" with any fixed lesson. It was an exercise in interrogation.
To listen and understand; to question and disagree; to treat no proposition as sacred and no objection as impious; to be willing to entertain unpopular ideas and cultivate the habits of an open mind — this is what I was encouraged to do by my teachers at the University of Chicago.
It's what used to be called a liberal education.
The University of Chicago showed us something else: that every great idea is really just a spectacular disagreement with some other great idea.
Bret Stephens's speech warrants a full read. It makes valuable points that we all need to hear, even on SN.
(Score: 2, Insightful) by lcall on Wednesday September 27 2017, @04:34PM
I have started to realize, later than ideal, that a habit of peacefully receiving some unsought hurt while trying to humbly do the right thing with kindness, has the potential to do great good over time. It is related to love and forgiving (but separate from trust -- I'm not suggesting to freely allow others to abuse or destroy, or pretend that evil is good). A loving parent or kind mentor might be classic examples. Every one of us really needs some kindness and forgiveness. (It can take tremendous time and practice to learn to actually do that, but is worthwhile.)