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The Risk of Education: Discovering Our Ultimate Destiny
This is an English translation of an Italian work first published in 1995. Based in Milan, Italy, Giussani heads the Communion and Liberation movement and is a council for the Congregation for the Clergy and the Pontifical Council for the Laity. He discusses education in terms of fundamental truths, in particular, the element of faith. It presents the argument that without the fundamental factors of tradition, the young person is merely a fragile leaf separated from its branch.
144 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1977
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319 people want to read
About the author
Luigi Giussani
160 books78 followersLuigi Giussani was born in 1922 in Desio, a small town near Milan. His mother, Angela, gave him his earliest daily introduction to the faith. His father, Beniamino, a member of an artistically talented family, a carver and restorer of wood, spurred the young Luigi always to ask why, to seek the reason for things. Fr. Giussani has often recalled episodes from his family life, signs of an atmosphere of great respect for persons and of an active education to keep alive the true dimensions of the heart and reason. An example is an episode when, still a young child, he and his mother were walking in the pale light of dawn to morning Mass, and his mother suddenly exclaimed softly at the sight of the last star fading in the growing morning light, “How beautiful the world is, and how great is God!” Or the great love of his father, a Socialist anarchist, for music, a passion that led him not only to try to lessen the impact of difficult moments in the family by singing famous arias, but also to prefer to the few comforts affordable in a modest economic situation the habit of inviting musicians home with him on Sunday afternoon so as to hear music played live.
At a very young age Luigi Giussani entered the diocesan seminary of Milan, continuing his studies and finally completing them at the theological school of Venegono under the guidance of masters like Gaetano Corti, Giovanni Colombo, Carlo Colombo, and Carlo Figini.
Besides the cultural training it offered, and his relationships of true esteem and great humanity with some of his masters, Venegono represented for Fr. Giussani a very important environment for the experience of the companionship of some “colleagues,” like Enrico Manfredini—the future archbishop of Bologna—in the common discovery of the value of vocation, a value that is enacted in the world and for the world.
These were years of intense study and great discoveries, such as reading Leopardi, Fr. Giussani recounts, as an accompaniment to meditation after the Eucharist. The conviction grew in him in those years that the zenith of all human genius (however expressed) is the prophecy, even if unaware, of the coming of Christ. Thus he happened to read Leopardi’s hymn Alla sua donna [To his Woman] as a sort of introduction to the prologue to the Gospel of St John, and to recognize in Beethoven and Donizetti vivid expressions of the eternal religious sense of man.
From that moment, reference to the fact that truth is recognized by the beauty in which it manifests itself would always be part of the Movement’s educational method. One can see in the history of CL a privileged place given to aesthetics, in the most profound, Thomist sense of the term, compared to an insistence on an ethical referent. From the time of his years in the seminary and as a theology student, Fr. Giussani learned that both the aesthetic and ethical sense arise from a correct and impassioned clarity concerning ontology, and that a lively aesthetic sense is the first sign of this, as evidenced by the healthiest Catholic as well as the Orthodox tradition.
Observance of discipline and order in seminary life became united with the strength of a temperament that, in his dialogue with his superiors and the initiatives of his companions, stood out for its vivacity and keenness. For example, Giussani promoted together with some fellow students an internal newsletter, called Studium Christi, with the intention of making of it a kind of organ for a study group dedicated to discovering the centrality of Christ in every subject they studied.
After ordination, Fr. Giussani devoted himself to teaching at the seminary in Venegono. In those years he specialized in the study of Eastern theology (especially the Slavophiles), American Protestant theology, and a deeper understanding of the rational reasons for adherence to faith and the Church.
In the middle of the 1950s, he left seminary teaching for high schools. For ten years, from 195
At a very young age Luigi Giussani entered the diocesan seminary of Milan, continuing his studies and finally completing them at the theological school of Venegono under the guidance of masters like Gaetano Corti, Giovanni Colombo, Carlo Colombo, and Carlo Figini.
Besides the cultural training it offered, and his relationships of true esteem and great humanity with some of his masters, Venegono represented for Fr. Giussani a very important environment for the experience of the companionship of some “colleagues,” like Enrico Manfredini—the future archbishop of Bologna—in the common discovery of the value of vocation, a value that is enacted in the world and for the world.
These were years of intense study and great discoveries, such as reading Leopardi, Fr. Giussani recounts, as an accompaniment to meditation after the Eucharist. The conviction grew in him in those years that the zenith of all human genius (however expressed) is the prophecy, even if unaware, of the coming of Christ. Thus he happened to read Leopardi’s hymn Alla sua donna [To his Woman] as a sort of introduction to the prologue to the Gospel of St John, and to recognize in Beethoven and Donizetti vivid expressions of the eternal religious sense of man.
From that moment, reference to the fact that truth is recognized by the beauty in which it manifests itself would always be part of the Movement’s educational method. One can see in the history of CL a privileged place given to aesthetics, in the most profound, Thomist sense of the term, compared to an insistence on an ethical referent. From the time of his years in the seminary and as a theology student, Fr. Giussani learned that both the aesthetic and ethical sense arise from a correct and impassioned clarity concerning ontology, and that a lively aesthetic sense is the first sign of this, as evidenced by the healthiest Catholic as well as the Orthodox tradition.
Observance of discipline and order in seminary life became united with the strength of a temperament that, in his dialogue with his superiors and the initiatives of his companions, stood out for its vivacity and keenness. For example, Giussani promoted together with some fellow students an internal newsletter, called Studium Christi, with the intention of making of it a kind of organ for a study group dedicated to discovering the centrality of Christ in every subject they studied.
After ordination, Fr. Giussani devoted himself to teaching at the seminary in Venegono. In those years he specialized in the study of Eastern theology (especially the Slavophiles), American Protestant theology, and a deeper understanding of the rational reasons for adherence to faith and the Church.
In the middle of the 1950s, he left seminary teaching for high schools. For ten years, from 195
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
April 21, 2025
Falls firmly into the category of "quiet, contemplative, yet deeply stimulating Roman Catholic meditation on the nature of existence" along with the works of Josef Pieper, A. G. Sertillanges, and Henri Nouwen—all writers dear to my heart. The thesis of this little book is quite simple—human flourishing results from the experience of reality as manifested in the dialectic between tradition and human potential. But I found myself lingering intently over each page, highlighting zealously. By somehow incorporating insights reminiscent of both Dewey and Kierkegaard (yes!!) into his argument, Giussani produces a rare treasure of a work that casts our loves, our faith, our learning, and our vocations into a sublime light. This is unequivocally a book that everyone involved with Christian education should read.
May 1, 2024
So many great points. Occasionally repetitive. New look upon what it means to be 'educated'.
Want to read
November 18, 2021“He who looks at the characters [letters] in a book but doesn’t know their meaning, what they refer to, will praise the book with his eyes, but his spirit will not understand. But someone who can read will praise this work of art and also understand its meaning, for he will not only be to see, like everyone else, but will also be able to read. And only someone who has learned how to read can do so…” Augustine
…Faith had to be presented as potentially capable of improving, enlightening, and enhancing authentic human values. The second element was practical, in that the contents of faith had to be tested in action. Rational evidence could lead to faith only from within the experience of human need; and further, this need must be confronted from within a lived Christian reality, an involvement that would treat Christianity as a social, communal event.
In short, we are at the mercy of the quicksands of freedom.
…Faith had to be presented as potentially capable of improving, enlightening, and enhancing authentic human values. The second element was practical, in that the contents of faith had to be tested in action. Rational evidence could lead to faith only from within the experience of human need; and further, this need must be confronted from within a lived Christian reality, an involvement that would treat Christianity as a social, communal event.
In short, we are at the mercy of the quicksands of freedom.
August 1, 2020
This was one of my favorite books this year. I might update the cover, but I thought it was highly relevant to education and really enjoyed the flocknote group I was in for it. It was a great group all in all.
December 29, 2018
This is the most important book I've ever read on education, and it is one of the most important books I've read in recent years. Giussani himself is a warm and wise teacher with one thing in his vision at all times: the transformative Christ event.
I came across Fr Giussani's name in one of Stratford Caledecott's books ("Beauty for Truth's Sake"), and was intrigued by this book title. That is all I knew about him when I purchased it and began reading it. Now, I can honestly say that Fr Giussani's ideas will be significantly influential to my vocations as teacher, pastor, and father. I want to read everything he wrote.
Rather than include a summary of the book, I will offer four of the most important points Giussani makes in the book that left deep impressions:
1) Tradition is a working hypothesis. By this Giussani means that the Christian tradition (the "Regula Fide" as gathered from the storehouse of Christian teachings contained in the Scriptures and spiritual writings of the last 2,000 years) demands to be tested by young people. If the Christian tradition is passed along as something other than a workable structure, then young people will never allow it to be flexed in the face of challenges; rather, they will drop it quickly in the face of them and move onto skepticism or apathy. This hypothesis must be lived; otherwise, it's dead.
2) Faith is rational. Faith in Christ, so argues Giussani, answers the needs of the human heart in a way that nothing else does. It is the highest step on the ladder of rationality, because it is the step that brings us to God Himself. This is a major theme throughout his career. Faith is neither an assent to doctrinal teachings nor a reduction to mere moralism; it is, rather, the embrace of a Person, the continued relationship to Christ Jesus as He makes Himself known in every single moment.
3) The educator must be personally and passionately invested in his or her teachings and students. If education is about aiding the student into entering the totality of the real, then the educator must also be seeking this totality. He or she is not a hired hand, passing along information, but a leader who has an existential commitment.
4) The Christian has nothing to fear from the various systems of the world because in everything, God makes Himself known. It is only a weak and limpid theology, afraid of change and challenge, that is constantly on the attack. A secure theology sees the glimmer of God in absolutely everything, and is eager to grow, to learn, to evolve.
This is a book that changes one's life.
I came across Fr Giussani's name in one of Stratford Caledecott's books ("Beauty for Truth's Sake"), and was intrigued by this book title. That is all I knew about him when I purchased it and began reading it. Now, I can honestly say that Fr Giussani's ideas will be significantly influential to my vocations as teacher, pastor, and father. I want to read everything he wrote.
Rather than include a summary of the book, I will offer four of the most important points Giussani makes in the book that left deep impressions:
1) Tradition is a working hypothesis. By this Giussani means that the Christian tradition (the "Regula Fide" as gathered from the storehouse of Christian teachings contained in the Scriptures and spiritual writings of the last 2,000 years) demands to be tested by young people. If the Christian tradition is passed along as something other than a workable structure, then young people will never allow it to be flexed in the face of challenges; rather, they will drop it quickly in the face of them and move onto skepticism or apathy. This hypothesis must be lived; otherwise, it's dead.
2) Faith is rational. Faith in Christ, so argues Giussani, answers the needs of the human heart in a way that nothing else does. It is the highest step on the ladder of rationality, because it is the step that brings us to God Himself. This is a major theme throughout his career. Faith is neither an assent to doctrinal teachings nor a reduction to mere moralism; it is, rather, the embrace of a Person, the continued relationship to Christ Jesus as He makes Himself known in every single moment.
3) The educator must be personally and passionately invested in his or her teachings and students. If education is about aiding the student into entering the totality of the real, then the educator must also be seeking this totality. He or she is not a hired hand, passing along information, but a leader who has an existential commitment.
4) The Christian has nothing to fear from the various systems of the world because in everything, God makes Himself known. It is only a weak and limpid theology, afraid of change and challenge, that is constantly on the attack. A secure theology sees the glimmer of God in absolutely everything, and is eager to grow, to learn, to evolve.
This is a book that changes one's life.
July 12, 2023
Some powerful insights, not all fully understood by this reader.
I am quite thick, badly educated, and also spent a huge amount of time reading nonsensical continental philosophy for my degree; I am also a Roger Scruton fanboy and have Tidied My Room. Consequently, I am very suspicious of anything with a whiff of word salad. I'm not saying that's the case with Giussani (this is my first encounter), but there is the odd sentence here and there which just reminded me of the kind of grammatically sensible but non-comprehensible fakery that you get in a lot of twentieth-century academic writing. There's also a tone (perhaps it's the translation) that reminds me of Umberto Eco at his satirical best (just a faint reminder, mind you; I burnt my Eco books about five years ago - not in a medieval scriptorium).
I am quite thick, badly educated, and also spent a huge amount of time reading nonsensical continental philosophy for my degree; I am also a Roger Scruton fanboy and have Tidied My Room. Consequently, I am very suspicious of anything with a whiff of word salad. I'm not saying that's the case with Giussani (this is my first encounter), but there is the odd sentence here and there which just reminded me of the kind of grammatically sensible but non-comprehensible fakery that you get in a lot of twentieth-century academic writing. There's also a tone (perhaps it's the translation) that reminds me of Umberto Eco at his satirical best (just a faint reminder, mind you; I burnt my Eco books about five years ago - not in a medieval scriptorium).
January 6, 2022
Masterfully written argument on the need for a holistic approach to education from the family and the school.
Education is more than merely learning subjects but it is the formation of persons. Education is intended to form us into people who can seek virtue and can seek God. The only way to teach people about God meaningfully is to combine a way that makes faith reasonable but combines that reasonableness with experience. What good is knowing all this stuff about the faith without actually having experienced God for oneself?
Giussani writes brilliantly about the subject of education and I would recommend this not only to people looking to work in education but also to parents because parents have the responsibility of being the first educators.
Education is more than merely learning subjects but it is the formation of persons. Education is intended to form us into people who can seek virtue and can seek God. The only way to teach people about God meaningfully is to combine a way that makes faith reasonable but combines that reasonableness with experience. What good is knowing all this stuff about the faith without actually having experienced God for oneself?
Giussani writes brilliantly about the subject of education and I would recommend this not only to people looking to work in education but also to parents because parents have the responsibility of being the first educators.
June 23, 2025
Brief and well-reasoned, The Risk of Education is an integrated alternative to fragmented educational methods rooted in skepticism: an education dedicated to the development of the whole human person. Giussani encourages young people to verify in their own human experience the hypothesis by which they are living and encourages educators to passionately live their lives the same way, modeling the rich possibilities illuminated by the Christ event in history brought forward by those living in the light of that encounter. His courageous insistence on freedom offered in this wholistic humanism distinguishes his approach from faith-based constructs that tend to rigidity and moralism. A wonderful invitation to an open, loving pursuit of authentic living and true community.
July 13, 2025
A good philosophy of education read. Have your highlighters and pens ready;)
“The word reality is to the word education as the destination is to a journey. The destination is the meaning of all human travels. It exists not only at the time the endeavor is completed and ends, but also at each step along the path. Reality, then, wholly shapes the educational motion…” (25).
“The word reality is to the word education as the destination is to a journey. The destination is the meaning of all human travels. It exists not only at the time the endeavor is completed and ends, but also at each step along the path. Reality, then, wholly shapes the educational motion…” (25).
July 20, 2019
Will be reading again heading into teaching/ministry. A great read for anyone wanting to be more than just an educator of the faith but a transformative force in education. Guissani greatly inspires Pope JPII, Benedict and Francis’s pedagogies.
May 11, 2020
Brilliant at points. The language is a bit dense at others.
Read
April 16, 2021Ouch - my head. Such a little book but hard - for me - to unpack.
December 21, 2021
A very neat book that presents a strong case for teaching children critical thinking, presenting them with your own convictions and letting them be tested in adolescence.
May 28, 2025
Makes some good points but gets repetitive and the language is sometimes difficult to read...
December 2, 2020
the beauty of the Cross is that we can choose to walk away.
July 2, 2021
Fr. Giussani is a genius. He’s incredibly insightful in his diagnosis of the current student culture and the solution.
July 21, 2019
Since I've started teaching CCD, I figured I'd re-read this. I read the 2nd edition, the one with the introduction by Stanley Hauerwas.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews