Kirk – The Conservative Purpose of a Liberal Education
“True education is meant to develop the individual human being, the person, rather than to serve the state. “ That is why I am here, I will be getting a world class education, the purpose of which is to improve myself for the benefit of me. I am going to become the best person I can, with a liberal education. Liberal education means “ an ordering and integrating of knowledge… it defends order against disorder.” It also is a means to “develop right reason… [and learn] wisdom and virtue.” Those with a liberal education “know that they do not know everything.” They will never stop learning.
Aristophanes - Clouds
“Go, I beseech you, dearest of human beings to me, go and be taught.” –Strepsiades to his son Pheidippies. Wouldn’t we wish this upon all those whom we love? Isn’t knowledge one of the greatest things man can obtain in this life. One of the greatest ways to learn is to hear two people speak on opposing sides of an issue so that you may decide for yourself. But don’t be too confident in your education, for there will always be someone who knows more than you do. Strepsiades also said, “For it is proper for us to weep if we do things that aren’t just.” There is not a time when it is more proper to weep than when you or someone else does something wrong.
Plato – Allegory
When we learn something new and exciting, there is nothing we want more than to share it with others, in fact we might feel bad for those who don’t know what we have learned.
Plato – Apology
Socrates has morals, and promises to share the whole truth. He does not suppose to know the things that he does not know. He accuses his accusers, “Are you not ashamed that you care for having as much money as possible, and reputation, and honor, but that you neither care for nor give thought to prudence, and truth, and how your soul will be the best possible?” Be like Socrates, stick to your morals, tell the truth and care more for prudence and truth than money and honor.
Plato – Crito
Socrates knows that even though he believes he did nothing wrong, he must die because that is what the jury decided. He follows the law and refuses to let his friends help him escape.
Aristotle – Nicomachean Ethics
Aristotle describes happiness as a state of mind where nothing else is desired. He also says that happiness can only be found when ALL of your needs and MOST of your wants have been met, when you act in accordance with virtue and when you have had good fortune. He admits however that “…we have practically defined happiness as a sort of living and faring well.” He also says, “Happiness is the best, noblest, and most pleasant thing in the world. “He defines virtue as the mean between two extremes, too much and too little, which are both vices. For example if courage is a virtue, then you have foolhardiness and being cowardly as extremes or vices. Virtue is the “just right” in the middle of too much and too little. Finding that middle ground can be hard, “…to do [things] to the right person, to the right extent, at the right time, with the right motive, and in the right way, that is not for everyone, nor is it easy.” “Moral virtue comes as a result of habit… we become just by doing just acts, temperate by doing temperate acts and brave by doing brave acts. The four cardinal virtues are courage, temperance, prudence and justice, all other virtues hang on these four. “
“Every pursuit aims at some good.” Wealth is merely useful. “Good is better when it is harder.”
“Without friends, no one would choose to live… it is thought to be a fine thing to have many friends.” “In loving a friend men love what is good for themselves. Friends are important, but what does it mean to have or be a friend? According to Aristotle, “ To be friends… [we] must be mutually recognized as bearing goodwill and wishing well to each other.” He also says, “Men cannot know each other until they have eaten salt together; (Meaning that when we go through a trial with someone we get to know them a lot better.) nor can they admit to each other friendship or to be friends till each has been lovable and been trusted by each.” So we have wishing well to each other, suffering together, loving/loveable and trusting/trustworthy. Also, “Men do not become friends with those in whom they do not delight.” And there you have the basics to becoming a good friend by Aristotle.
Plutarch – The lives of noble Grecians and Romans
Contumaciously means rebellious. “That age produced a sort of men, in force of hand, and swiftness of foot, and strength of body, excelling the ordinary rate and wholly incapable of fatigue; making no use, however, of these gifts of nature to no good or profitable purpose for mankind…” How sad is that? They have all these wonderful gifts, but they don’t use them for anything good! Thankfully, Theseus was different, he displayed, “not only great strength of body, but equal bravery, and a quickness alike and force of understanding, [and] he set forward with a design to do injury to nobody, but to repel and revenge himself of all those that should offer any.” Even in death he is serving others as “his tomb is a sanctuary and refuge for slaves.”
Machiavelli – The Prince
Agathocles had a great mind when it came to enduring and overcoming trials, however, because of his “barbarous cruelty and inhumanity with infinite wickednesses” he cannot be thought of as a good man. “Above all things a prince ought to live amongst his people.”According to Machiavelli there are three types of government, “either a principality, self-government or anarchy.” “… how necessary it is for a prince to have his foundations well laid, otherwise it follows of necessity he will go to ruin. This is true for anyone who is trying to accomplish anything, if you don’t have a firm foundation you will fall.
Locke – Concerning Civil Government
Political power is defined as the right of making laws. “The state of Nature has a law of nature to govern it…no one ought to harm another in his life, health, liberty, or possessions.” This is the natural or common law which no one can change; it simply protects our rights to life liberty and property. Every one as he is bound to preserve himself… ought he as much as he can to preserve the rest of mankind.” This answers the age old question, Am I my brother’s keeper? “The state of war is a state of enmity and destruction… This makes it lawful for a man to kill a thief who has not in the least hurt him, nor declared any design upon his life… I have no reason to suppose that he who would take away my liberty would not, when he had me in his power, take away everything else. And therefore it is lawful for me to treat him as one who has put himself into a state of war with me –i.e. kill him if I can.” According to Locke anyone who threatens to take away one of your basic human rights has entered into a state of war with you, therefore making it lawful for you to kill them.
“The earth and all that is therein is given to men for the support and the comfort of their being …Nothing was made by God for man to spoil or destroy.” Everything is given to man in common, so how does something become your private property? Locke says that when you add your labor to something or remove it out of the place where nature put it, it becomes yours, as long as you use whatever it is before it goes bad. “Where there is no law there is no freedom.” For if there are not laws to keep you safe from other people, then you cannot truly be free.
Gibbon – The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire
“The principal conquests of the Romans were achieved under the republic.” The barbarians “despised life when it was separated from freedom” As should we all, we should all be smart enough to recognize when we are not free and do everything in our power to make it so we are free again. “The public virtue… is derived from a strong sense of our own interest in the preservation and prosperity of the free government.” Everybody should be well educated and politically involved, however this is not a right, it is something you have to work for. “[The Romans] comprehended whatever they could add strength to the body, activity to the limbs or grace to the motions.” Arts are a manifestation of human creativity and they are very important in every aspect of our lives, for what is life without beauty. In the early years of the Roman empire, until Christianity took over, the Romans were highly tolerant of any kind of religion. “The aspiring genius of Rome sacrificed vanity to ambition and deemed it more prudent as well as honorable to adopt virtue and merit for her own wheresoever they were found.” “The obedience of the Roman World was uniform, voluntary, and permanent.” Monarchy is defined as a state where “a single person is entrusted with the execution of laws, the management of the revenue and the command of the army.” That seems like a lot of power to give any one person. “The masters of the Roman world surrounded their throne with darkness, concealed their irresistible strength, and humbly professed themselves the accountable ministers of the senate, whose supreme decrees they dictated and obeyed… The vast extent of the Roman empire was governed by absolute power, under the guidance of virtue and wisdom.”
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