Educational perennialism

Perennialists believe that one should teach the things that they believe are of everlasting importance to all people everywhere. They believe that the most important topics develop a person. Since details of fact change constantly, these cannot be the most important. Therefore, one should teach principles, not facts. Since people are human, one should teach first about humans, not machines or techniques. Since people are people first, and workers second if at all, one should teach liberal topics first, not vocational topics.

A particular strategy with modern perennialists is to teach scientific reasoning, not facts. They may illustrate the reasoning with original accounts of famous experiments. This gives the students a human side to the science, and shows the reasoning in action. Most importantly, it shows the uncertainty and false steps of real science.

Although perennialism may seem similar to essentialism, perennialism focuses first on personal development, while essentialism focuses first on essential skills. Essentialist curricula thus tend to be much more vocational and fact-based, and far less liberal and principle-based. However, both philosophies are teacher-centered, as opposed to student-centered philosophies of education such as progressivism.

Perennialism has two major divisions: secular and religious, and their goals and methods differ somewhat.

Secular perennialism

The word perennial in Secular perennialism suggests lasting an indefinitely long time, recurring again and again, or self-renewal. As promoted primarily by Robert Hutchins and Mortimer Adler, a universal curriculum based upon the common and essential nature of all human beings is recommended. This form of perennialism contains the humanist tradition, but also includes the scientific tradition. Other notable figures in the movement include Stringfellow Barr and Scott Buchanan, who together initiated the Great Books program at St. John's College in Annapolis, Maryland, Mark Van Doren, Alexander Meiklejohn, and Sir Richard Livingstone, an English classicist who won a devoted following in the United States.

Secular perennialists espouse that education should focus on the historical development of the common western base of human knowledge and art, the timeless value of classic thought on central human issues by landmark thinkers, and revolutionary ideas critical to historical western paradigm shifts or changes in world view. They advocate a program of studies which is highly general, nonspecialized, and nonvocational. They faithfully believe that exposure of all citizens to the development of thought by those most responsible for the evolution of the Western tradition is integral to the survival of the freedoms, human rights and responsibilities inherent to a true Democracy.

Adler states: "...our political democracy depends upon the reconstitution of our schools. Our schools are not turning out young people prepared for the high office and the duties of citizenship in a democratic republic. Our political institutions cannot thrive, they may not even survive, if we do not produce a greater number of thinking citizens, from whom some statesmen of the type we had in the 18th century might eventually emerge. We are, indeed, a nation at risk, and nothing but radical reform of our schools can save us from impending disaster... Whatever the price... the price we will pay for not doing it will be much greater."

Hutchins writes in the same vein: "The business of saying... that people are not capable of achieving a good education is too strongly reminiscent of the opposition of every extension of democracy. This opposition has always rested on the allegation that the people were incapable of exercising the power they demanded. Always the historic statement has been verified: you cannot expect the slave to show the virtues of the free man unless you first set him free. When the slave has been set free, he has, in the passage of time, become indistinguishable from those who have always been free... There appears to be an innate human tendency to underestimate the capacity of those who do not belong to "our" group. Those who do not share our background cannot have our ability. Foreigners, people who are in a different economic status, and the young seem invariably to be regarded as intellectually backward...

As with the essentialists, perennialists are educationally conservative in the requirement of a curriculum focused upon fundamental subject areas, but stress that the overall aim should be exposure to history's finest thinkers as models for discovery. The student should be taught basic subjects as English, languages, history, mathematics, natural science, philosophy, and fine arts. Adler states: "The three R's, which always signified the formal disciplines, are the essence of liberal or general education."

Secular perennialists agree with progressivists that memorization of vast amounts of factual information and a focus on second-hand information in textbooks and lectures does not develop rational thought. They advocate learning through the development of meaningful conceptual thinking and judgement by means of a directed reading list of the profound, aesthetic, and meaningful great books of the Western canon. These books, written by the world's finest thinkers, cumulatively comprise the Great Conversation of mankind with regard to the central human questions. Their basic argument for use of original works, (for which abridged translations are acceptable) is that these are the products of genius. Since we need not settle for less, why should we? They may be considered genius, but they are us, they are our shared foundation. Hutchins tells us that:

"Great books are great teachers; they are showing us every day what ordinary people are capable of. These books come out of ignorant, inquiring humanity. They are usually the first announcements for success in learning. Most of them were written for, and addressed to, ordinary people."

It is important to note that the Great Conversation is not static, which is the impression that one might obtain from some descriptions of perennialism, a confusion with religious perennialism, or even the term perennialsm itself. The Great Conversation and the set of related great books changes as the representative thought of man changes or progresses, and is therefore representative of an evolution of thought, but it is not based upon the whim or fancy of the latest cultural fads. Hutchins makes this point very clear:

"In the course of history... new books have been written that have won their place in the list. Books once thought entitled to belong to it have been superseded; and this process of change will continue as long as men can think and write. It is the task of every generation to reassess the tradition in which it lives, to discard what it cannot use, and to bring into context with the distant and intermediate past the most recent contributions to the Great Conversation. ...the West needs to recapture and reemphasize and bring to bear upon its present problems the wisdom that lies in the works of its greatest thinkers and in the discussion that they have carried on."

Perennialism was a solution proposed in response to what was considered by many to be a failing educational system. Hutchins writes:

"The products of American high schools are illiterate; and a degree from a famous college or university is no guarantee that the graduate is in any better case. One of the most remarkable features of American society is that the difference between the "uneducated" and the "educated" is so slight."

In this regard John Dewey and Hutchins were in agreement. Hutchin's book The Higher Learning in America deplored the "plight of higher learning" whch had turned away from cultivation of the intellect toward anti-intellectual practicality due in part, to a lust for money. In a negative criticism and review of the book, Dewey wrote a series of articles in The Social Frontier which began by applauding Hutchins' attack on "the aimlessness of our present educational scheme.

Perennialists believe that reading is to be supplemented with mutual investigations and minimally-directed discussions through the Socratic method, in order to develop a historically oriented understanding of concepts. They argue that accurate, independent reasoning distinguishes the developed or educated mind and thus stress the development of this faculty. A skilled teacher would keep discussions on topic and correct errors in reasoning, but the class, not the teacher, would come to the conclusions. The teacher would not direct or lead the class to a conclusion but the teacher's role may include accurately formulating problems within the scope of the great books being studied.

The standard argument for utilizing a modern text is to make the information relevant to modern society. Perennialists argue that many of the historical debates and the development of ideas represented by the great books are relevant to any society, at any time, and thus the great books are pertinent to understanding our society and our time.

Perennialists freely acknowledge that any selection of great books will disagree on many topics, but see this as an advantage. They believe that the student must learn to recognize such disagreements, which often reflect current debates. The student is responsible for thinking about the disagreements and reaching a reasoned, defensible conclusion. This is a major goal of the Socratic discussions. They do not advocate teaching a settled scholarly interpretation of the great books, because this cheats the student of an opportunity to learn rational criticism and to know his own mind. Also, humanity might lose some of brilliant insights discovered by these new minds.

Religious perennialism

Perennialism was originally religious in nature, developed first by Thomas Aquinas in the thirteenth century in his work De Magistro, (The Teacher). It is also focused on the personal development of the student, because Christian philosophy is concerned with love (not sex, but a perfected ideal of love).

Aquinas was a Christian philosopher and theologian. He argued that God loves us, and therefore wants us to be all we can be. In particular, "You shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." (Matthew 5:48, part of the Antithesis of the Law), and "Love the Lord...with all your mind..." (Luke 10:27). Thus human development glorifies God, and is a worthy project.

He argued against two fallacies. First he argued that all learning could not come from within, because it always had to be provided as sensed signs that the student must perceive. He also argued that education is not mere manipulation of a mind from outside, but that rather some essential spark (from God) remade the knowledge in the student's mind.

He advocated a middle path, between these two extremes (in line with Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics). That is, the teacher could guide the student to the great truths. This would save the student much trial and error, and permit greater development at a younger age.

Aquinas clearly considered Christian ethics, salvation and doctrine to be items of first importance, because they concerned human access to the universal God and eternal life. He considered reasoning and philosophy to be important, but of clearly secondary importance.

An interesting teaching was that he considered God to be the great, perhaps only Teacher, because only God could form ideas directly in men's minds from mere senses.

In the nineteenth century, John Henry Newman presented a detailed defense of educational perennialism in The Idea of a University. Discourse 5 of that work, Knowledge its Own End, is still relevant as a clear statement of a Christian educational perennialism.

For a discussion of other educational philosophies, see educational philosophies and education reform. For more information about the great books, see Mortimer Adler or http://thecommonreview.org/gbf/

Colleges exemplifying this philosophy

Some colleges in the United States use "a Great Books curriculum" and represent a fairly pure application of this educational philosophy:

• St. John's College, U.S. is a well-known secular liberal-arts college with an undergraduate program described as "an all-required course of study based on the great books of the Western tradition."
• Thomas Aquinas College in Santa Paula, California is a Catholic Christian college with a Great Books curriculum.
• Gutenberg College in Eugene, Oregon provides "a broad-based liberal arts education in a Protestant Christian environment", with a "great books" curriculum emphasizing "the development of basic learning skills (reading, writing, mathematics, and critical thinking) and the application of these skills to profound writings of the past"
• Shimer College in Waukegan, Illinois grants a Bachelor of Arts to students who complete a program composed of humanities, social sciences, natural sciences, integrative studies and a capstone senior thesis.
• The Torrey Honors Institute at Biola University is a Christian Great Books program.

External References

• Mortimer Adler @Wikiquote
• Robert Hutchins @Wikiquote

References

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