This postUpon looking at the syllabus for my Introduction to Theatre class an hour ago, and noting with a small degree of horror that we’d have to put on a fullscale production as our final, I decided to find another way to fulfill the Arts GE. After going through every single option, I found only one that worked with my schedule. And it also happened to be something I was interested in: “The Aristotle Effect: Discovering the Dramatic Teaching Secrets of the Master.” Now, the ironic thing that I just realized is that it’s the same professor. Different discplines — theatre v. education (unless there’s a heavy emphasis on “Dramatic” in that title) — but same guy. It’s little things like this that add sparkle to life. :)
Speaking of education, I’ve been reading a booklet called “University Education: Traditions, Visions, Ideas” which I found in the Maeser Building a few months ago. There’s a fascinating article in it by Eliot A. Butler entitled “Everybody Is Ignorant, Only on Different Subjects” (from BYU Studies 17, no. 3, Spring 1977), describing what it really means to be educated. Butler claims (and I agree) that “an educated person is one who by his or her own initiative and discipline is consciously, vigorously, and continuously learning.”
More directly to the point, he quotes W.H. Auden in a “description of the bewildered fifth-century Athenian who visits our society”:
“Yes,” says the man from Athens, “I can see all the works of a great civilization: But why cannot I meet any civilized persons? I only encounter specialists; artists who know nothing of science, scientists who know nothing of art, philosophers who have no interest in God, priests who are unconcerned with politics, politicians who only know other politicians.”
Amen to that. This great age of specialization has practically killed the Renaissance man. Not entirely, of course, for he will never disappear completely, but it’s sad that cross-disciplinary knowledge is so rare.
Butler continues:
One can soon tell if one is speaking with an educated person…. Matters learned last evening, an idea being pondered and developed, books recently read, an essay just encountered, an argument still going on, a book just purchased to be read tonight as soon as another is finished — one hears of such from an educated person.
Over several years I have spoken with many graduating seniors in one program here: with several there was the pain of learning that not one book had been read since they entered the university except the required books. By others a few had been read. But the educated men and women in the program all had books just finished, others being read, and a growing list of books that they could hardly wait to get into.”
That’s what I like to hear. :) It’s true, really — “the educated person is vastly more interesting to be around.” Perhaps it’s because, as C.S. Lewis says in An Experiment in Criticism, “in reading great literature I become a thousand men and yet remain myself.” People whose primary (or ~shudder~ only) source of input is the television are rather boring, I’m afraid. Conversations with them are often shallow. My internal finger-pointing detector hastens to clarify that there’s no reason why said people can’t become more interesting, no real obstacle outside of their own desire for it. Just look at Malcolm X.
And the point of education is not to get a job, contrary to what everyone says these days. It’s to be a more well-rounded human being. As another essay in this booklet puts it, if you were to die the day you graduate, would you consider your time in college to be a waste? If so, that’s too bad for you. There’s nothing wrong with learning for the sake of learning. Brigham Young said, “Will education feed and clothe you, keep you warm on a cold day, or enable you to build a house? Not at all. Should we cry down education on this account? No. What is it for? The improvement of the mind; to instruct us in all arts and sciences, in the history of the world, in the laws of nations; to enable us to understand the laws and principles of life, and how to be useful while we live.”
Anyway, I would love to see the world become educated. There are, of course, many interesting people out there, but I want more! :) Good thing I’m going to become a librarian — this is exactly the sort of thing I’ll be working with. Mmm. :)
