Philosophy in the Contemporary World

Volume 17, Issue 2, Fall 2010

The Future of Liberal Arts Education

Karen Adkins
Pages 58-67

Against (Simple) Efficiency

This paper defends the liberal arts as an effective way to acquire habits of thought (creativity, skepticism), as opposed to skills. The ability to think creatively, historically, and skeptically can only be acquired slowly, socially, and with a diverse population. While this defense of the liberal arts (as opposed to a skills-focused defense) well supports some of the hallmarks of American liberal arts education (in person, bricks and mortar, not accelerated), it also has some critical implications for how the liberal arts are taught.