American schools are in a state of crisis.
At the root of our current perplexity, beneath the difficulties
with funding, social problems, and low test scores, festers a
serious uncertainty as to what the focus and goals of education
should be. We are increasingly haunted by the suspicion that our
educational theories and institutions have lost sight of the need
to perpetuate a core of moral and civic knowledge that is essential
for any citizen's education, and indeed for any individual's
happiness. Mining the Founders' rich reflections on education, the
Pangles suggest, can help us recover a clearer sense of perspective
and purpose.
With a commanding knowledge of the history of political
philosophy, the authors illustrate how the Founders both drew upon
and transformed the ideas of earlier philosophers of education such
as Plato, Xenophon, Milton, Bacon, and Locke. They trace the
emergence of a new American ideal of public education that puts
civic instruction at its core to sustain a high quality of
leadership and public discourse while producing resourceful,
self-reliant members of a uniquely fluid society.
The Pangles also explore the wisdom and the weaknesses inherent
in Jefferson's attempt to create a comprehensive system of
schooling that would educate parents and children and offer
unprecedented freedom of choice to university students. An original
closing section examines the Founders' ideas for bringing all
aspects of society to bear on education. It also shows how
Washington, Jefferson, and Franklin presented their own lives as
models for the education of others and analyzes the subtle,
provocative moral philosophy implicit in the self-depiction of
each.
"The Learning of Liberty" is historical and scholarly yet
relentlessly practical, seeking from the Founders useful insights
into the human soul and the character of good education. Even if
the Founders do not provide us with ready-made solutions to many of
our problems, the Pangles suggest, a study of their writings can
give us a more realistic perspective, by teaching that our
bewilderment is in some measure an outgrowth of unresolved tensions
embedded in the Founders' own conceptions of republicanism,
religion, education, and human nature.
"A marvelous work, full of learning and wisdom, certain to
interest and enlighten its readers. The authors raise the current
discussion of the problems facing American education to a level
that towers above the usual topics. They ask what is education for
and make a powerful case that in a democratic republic it must
focus on civic and moral questions. Their sympathetic and critical
account of the ideas and lives of such men as Washington,
Jefferson, and Franklin is fascinating in itself and a superb way
to illuminate the issues. "--Donald Kagan, author of "The Fall of
the Athenian Empire" and coauthor of "The Western Heritage."
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