The Idea of the University: A Reexamination

Description

The crisis in university education has been the subject of vigorous debate in recent years. In this eloquent and deeply personal book, a distinguished scholar reflects on the character and aims of the university, assessing its guiding principles, its practical functions, and its role in society. Jaroslav Pelikan provides a unique perspective on the university today by reexamining it in light of John Henry Cardinal Newman's 150-year-old classic The Idea of a University and showing how Cardinal Newman's ideas both illuminate and differ from current problems facing higher education. Pelikan begins by affirming the validity of Newman's first principle: that knowledge must be an end in itself. He goes on to make the case for the inseparability of research and teaching on both intellectual and practical grounds, stressing the virtues--free inquiry, scholarly honesty, civility in discourse, toleration of diverse beliefs and values, and trust in rationality and public verifiability--that must be practiced and taught by the university. He discusses the business of the university--the advancement of knowledge through research, the extension and interpretation of knowledge through undergraduate and graduate teaching, the preservation of knowledge in libraries, museums, and galleries, and the diffusion of knowledge through scholarly publishing. And he argues that by performing these tasks, by developing closer ties with other schools at all levels, and by involving the community in lifelong education, the university will make its greatest contribution to society. Contents —— VII Preface —— lX Part I: 1. In Dialogue with John Henry Newman —— 3 2. The Storm Breaking upon the University: The University in Crisis —— 11 3. Pushing Things up to Their First Principles —— 22 4. Knowledge Its Own End? —— 32 5. The Imperial Intellect and Its Virtues —— 44 6. The Mansion-House of the Goodly Family of the Sciences —— 57 Part II: 7. The Business of a University —— 71 8. The Advancement of Knowledge through Research —— 78 9. The Extension of Knowledge through Teaching —— 89 10. Knowledge Viewed in Relation to Professional Skill —— 99 11. The Embalming of Dead Genius? —— 110 12. The Diffusion of Knowledge through Publishing —— 121 Part III: 13. Duties to Society —— 137 14. The University as Ground of Promise in the Future —— 146 15. The University and the Spread of Revolutionary Doctrines —— 157 16. The Task of Initiating a Work of Self-Reformation —— 168 17. Alma Mater: A Life of Learning —— 180 18. The Idea of the University in Scholarly Literature —— 190 Notes —— 199 Works Cited and Consulted —— 213 Index —— 231