Comments about ‘Maria Covey Cole: The importance of the liberal arts education’

I graduated in Engineering, however I feel very blessed to have had the liberal arts education I was forced to get. Yes I would have forgone it at the time, not realizing how valuable it is, but now that I know better I agree that liberal arts is very valuable.

The study of the liberal arts is just a softer name for what it really is: the study of left-wing propaganda.

Higher education has largely bought into the egalitarian view of education. Under this doctrine, curriculum and expectations are watered down to the level of the lowest common denominator so that all students can feel good about having the same achievements as everybody else.

This watered down curriculum has led to ridiculous courses such as "the value of sexual deviants in society" and "the history of transgendered literature." These classes reward mere attendance with an "A" grade, while imparting nothing of intellectual or more value.

In short, the experiment with the liberal arts has been a colossal failure. Let us return higher education to just that--higher education.

To a conservatve there is nowhere but a position to make money from. They would burn most of the books in the libraries if we gave them half a chance. The attitude of the dark ages is still alive and well.

Too bad they will never read anything about the dark ages.

"The study of the liberal arts is just a softer name for what it really is: the study of left-wing propaganda." Garbage! The best preparation a student can have for the future is a good well-rounded liberal arts education. If we train students for specific jobs how do we know what those jobs will be? Do you realize that 40% of today's jobs DIDN'T EXIST 20 years ago. And yes, education is its own reward; sometimes a good job is a happy by-product, but education for education's sake.

@John Charity Spring:

Overgeneralize much? I'm pretty sure Ms. Cole never took a class in sexual deviancy or transgendered literature. And if she had, so what? There is nothing wrong with learning about things outside our own experience. I wonder as well what empirical support you have for your assumption that these classes reward mere attendance with an "A" grade.

I have an undergraduate degree in philosophy. I believe the study of the ideas of Plato, Aristotle, Aquinas, Locke, Rousseau, Sartre and many others imparted both intellectual and moral value. It was certainly good preparation for law school.

Society needs scientists, engineers, mathematicians and accountants. But we also need psychologists, musicians and artists (and even a few philosophers).

@JCS

"In short, the experiment with the liberal arts has been a colossal failure. Let us return higher education to just that--higher education."

Did you mean this whole post you did with a touch of sarcasm? How can one say that liberal arts is an experiment?

When we look back at ancient civilizations, when we look at the Renaissance, etc. who is it that we remember? Who was the most influential? It was the thinkers, the musicians, the painters, the poets, the playwriters, not the accountants. Liberal arts is what makes life beautiful, and more than just the dingy gray of the factory floor. The inspirational leaders of the past had diverse educations in theology, philosphy, history, music, art, etc.

If you truly think liberal arts is a failure, then I feel bad for you. Not everything in life revolves around the bottom line. My father has a degree in English Literature, yet never worked as an English teacher, yet found great success, and writes articles for various magazines in his spare time for meager compensation. What a failure he has been (that was actual sarcasm)!

Amen, Mrs. Cole. I did a "practical" degree for my undergrad but found myself lacking in "liberal arts" knowledge and decided to enhance my knowledge in that area in grad school. I wish I had done it the other way around.

re: John Charity Spring | 8:01 a.m. March 23, 2011

Liberal Arts are filled w/ leftist ideology? Really? My major & minors at the U of U (in liberal arts and humanities) are what transformed from me from a conservative into a Libertarian.

Back then, the college of business was filled with Alex P Keaton types who reeked with insincerity.

Bottom line; I'd rather deal w/ an open minded, tolerant lefty who has a Bachelors in English than someone who wants to get an MBA and go into investment banking but ends up in a Sales position with MLM here in Zion.

If you can stick the word 'liberal' beside something, I'll show you someone in Utah who hates it arbitrarily.