The Problem of Doing

Nicholas Wolterstorff makes the case for liberal arts education in his article, Why Doing Isn't Everything. This weekend I was part of a discussion about liberal arts education. The discussion hung with me and reminded me of this article by Wolterstorff.

His premise in this article is one belonging to all human beings. Wolterstorff argues, "given the nature of human beings and their odyssey on earth, the existence of liberal arts education is one of the most natural things in the world."

He goes into a lengthy explanation of what liberal arts education is, but let me save you some time. Wolterstorff arrives at the idea that liberal arts education is "education aimed at inducting the student into that enduring, socially transcendent cultural heritage - into the philosophy, the literature, the art, the music, the science that is handed down to us." For Wolterstorff the debates will rage, but the reality is that the essence of liberal arts education is still induction into our cultural heritage. That, for Christians, is the crux of the issue.

He goes on to write about what it means to be human, and how this makes his case for liberal arts education to be natural rather than problematic. The reason he makes this case is to simply prove that to be human is to be enculturated. He goes on to say that one's enculturation is always into some specific culture and always manifested in the "doing" of something more than something merely vocational. There are always additional engagements with the rest of the planet for which we must also be prepared.

He writes about some of the assumptions and myths associated with culture, and shatters one the most protected myths by stating unequivocally that "no one is enculturated into human culture in general, since there is no such thing as human culture in general."

There is more to read regarding liberal arts education and induction into cultural heritage, but for our purposes, let me advance to his conclusion. Wolterstorff brings his premises together in one statement: "liberal arts education in some form or other is inevitable." And Wolterstorff asserts that no one really wants to avoid being inducted into their cultural heritage, therefore liberal arts education will never disappear because it is one of the most natural things on earth.

Having reached this point, I must ask one final important question: what are the implications to those of us who are parents currently considering our children's educational future knowing that liberal arts education has to do with encultration into Christian cultural heritage? I believe that the decision on where to educate my children is one of the most important decisions I will ever make on their behalf for their future Christian walk! My advice to you if your asking: make that decision after much prayer in conjunction with a Holy God!

Click on the article title to read the article in its entirety; it is well worth the time.