The Liberal Arts Tradition: A Documentary History

by Bruce A. Kimball

Ranging from Plato in antiquity to Martha Nussbaum in the present era, the authors of the seventy readings included in The Liberal Arts Tradition present significant and exemplary views addressing liberal arts education over the course of its history, particularly in the United States. Most of the documents are newly translated or no longer available in print. Arranged chronologically, each selection is accompanied by an informative introduction and extensive explanatory notes discussing its place within the liberal arts tradition. Based upon the author's twenty-five years of experience leading seminars concerning the history of liberal education, this collection presents a uniquely comprehensive and salient set of documents, while incorporating the neglected portrayal and discussion of women within the history of the liberal arts.

522 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2010

Reviews

[Courtney White · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love that there is a history of liberal arts right here with all the excerpts included. The book is huge and I read it by skimming lots, and dwelling on some. (Hey, according to Adler, this is a form of reading, right?) Now I have a general overview of what "classical education" is and where we are today. It would have been nice if the author detailed ages and clarified who actually got the types of education he refers to during each time period. For example, would be great to know that the university in 1700s enlisted kids as young as 10! (Had to look that up along with loads of other information. Majority were 13-15 when they began, so, basically 9th graders today.) Another thing this revealed to me was that the medieval liberal arts version of grammar preparatory school was basically reciting Latin in song form. Now I have more reading to do ... Aristotle, Socrates, Cicero, Quintillion, Augustine, Boethius, Pizan, Petrarca......

[Mills College Library]

370.112 L6952 2010