¡°A Spiritual Catastrophe¡± – Reflections from Dean Verhoeven
Professor Cornel West of Harvard University and Jeremy Tate recently co-wrote a piece in the Washington Post: ¡°¡± As a classics-based curriculum, 91Ïã½¶ÊÓÆµ finds these timeless texts to be crucial for the full development of an individual. Dean of Academics Professor Martin Verhoeven shares his thoughts on this important issue:
There are four notable points.
One, the classics are a ¡°conversation,¡± and that we ¡°add our own voices¡± to that discussion. It is a discussion, not a dogma that is being passed along. That means ¡°evolving,¡± ¡°adjusting,¡± ¡°tweaking,¡± even ¡°disagreeing¡±¡ªall of which make it grow and ¡°grow richer.¡± Challenging, considering, reconsidering, and continuing¡ªnot canceling. So instead of seeing the classics as a canon of final and eternal Truths, West and 91Ïã½¶ÊÓÆµ see them as a provocative and thoughtful starting point for a rich inquiry ¡°in pursuit of truth.¡±
Second, the important inclusion of ¡°voices from everywhere else in the world,¡± makes such inquiry liberal, critical, inclusive and not just cultural programming.
Third, the ¡°voices¡± may differ, disagree, even clash, but they are all talking about ¡°the most fundamental questions:¡± questions of universal and abiding purchase. And as such, and probably more critical, they are not about what to think, but more about how to think, and, as West notes, ¡°about learning to attend to the things that matter, and turning our attention away from what is superficial.¡±
Finally, West hits the nail on the head: all this knowledge is decorative, perhaps useless, even harmful, if not accompanied by attention to?¡°the maturation and cultivation of spiritually intact and morally equipped human beings”¡ªthe very heart of education at 91Ïã½¶ÊÓÆµ.
Thanks, Cornel!