Refortning Education TheS chooolfia nP ge ople anTdh ierE ducation BeyoSncdh ooling J. ByM ortimAedrl er witahF oreword by MauricMei tchell B. What should be done to improve education in America? Why should it be done? The essays in this collection respond to these questions and to others-both contemporary and perennial­ about schooling, curriculum, teaching, learning, and more. Mortimer Adler-well described as a prophet and a reformer­ proposes answers derived from the view that education should aim at the improvement of human beings through the fullest development of their potentials. The educational objectives and ideals he sets forth reflect decades of thought and experience; all are concerned with the problems we face today. ISBN: 0-89158-426-9 $14.50 Let us engage in the serious business of conducting our discussion rationally and logical­ ly, to discover the truth about points on which we differ. Reforming Education TheS chooolfai P nego ple anTdh eEidru caBteiyoonSn cdh ooling MortiJm.Ae drl er witahF orewboyr d MaurBi.cM ei tchell W estvPireew•s Bso uldCeorl,o rado All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. Copyright © 1977 by Westview Press Published in 1977 in the United States of America by Westview Press, Inc. 1898 Flatiron Court Boulder, Colorado 80301 Frederick A. Praeger, Publisher and Editorial Director Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data Adler, Mortimer Jerome, 1902- Reforming education in America. Bibliography: p. 1. Education-United States-History. 2. Education-Philosophy. I. Title. LA212.A37 370'.973 77-85319 ISBN 0-89158-426-9 Printed and bound in the United States of America Theed igtroart eafcuklnloyw ltehpdeeg remsi sgsriaonbntyste hdpe u bliasnohdre gra niza­ tiolniss bteeldot wor epriintn htvi osl ummaet erbiyMa olrst iJ.m Aedrl er. AmeriCcoaunn ocniE ld ucat"iLoinb.e raanldLi isbmeE rdaulc atiinTo lnf:i,de"u cational RecJorudl1,y9 3C9o.p yr©i1g9h3bt9yA meriCcoaunn ocniE ld ucation. CommonwPeuabll iCsoh.Ii,nn "cgD. o cialniAdtu yt horain"tdDy o"c iilnHi itsyt oirny ," ThCeo mmonwCeoaply.r ©i 1g9h4bt0yC ommonwPeuabll iCsoh.iI,nn gc . Harp&e Rro wP,u bliIsnh"ceT.re sa,c ahniLdne ga rniinnF gr,oP"ma rnaf:ssssiua1nsy-f :so nrr oJfa cqBuaerszC uonp.y r©i 1g9h7bt6yH arp&e Rro w. HarpeMra'gsa z"iTnhePi.rs e -WGaern eratcioopny,r©"i 1 g9h4bt0yH arpMearg'asz ine, copyrriegnhet1w 9e6da 7lr,li grhetsse rrveepdr,if nrtotemhdO e c to1b9e4ir0s sbuyse p ecial permisasnid'o Tnh;Ce h icaSgcoh ooclo,p"y r©i 1g9h4bt1yH arpMearg'asz cionpey,r ight renew1e9d6a 8l,rl i grhetsse rrveepdr,if nrtotemhd Se e p1t9.4i 1s sbuyse p ecpiearlm ission. D.CH.e aatnhCd o mpa"nTyh.Se c hooolfai P nego plienT, h"Ae m eri1c9a7nV6so,:lI .I , publibsyLh eexdi nBgotookns . JouronfaE ld ucatSioocniaoll" oIgnyv.i ttaott hiPeoa ni onfL earniinnJg o,u"ro n{a l EducaStoicoinoFalelob 1g.9y 4C,1o .p yr©i 1g9h4bt1yJ ouronfEa dlu catSioocniaolIl nocg.y , MounMta rCyo lle"gTheOe.r deorfL earniinnTg h,Me"o raQguaa rtAeprr1li9yl4, 1 . NatiCoonuanloc fTi ela choefEr nsg l"iWshha.ltB s a saibco Euntg liisnCh o?l,El"ne gglei sh, Apr1i9l4 C1o.p yr©i 1g9h4bt1yC ollEenggela insNdha t ioCnoaulno cfTi ela choefEr nsg lish. NorthweUsntievrenr "sAirtTeyh .e rAeb solauntdUe n ivePrrsianlc oinpW lheisc h EducaSthiooubnle Fd o undiendE? d"u caTtrieoJnnudalsl,y -1A9u4Cg1o..p yr©i 1g9h4bt1yt he SchooofEl d ucatNioornth,w eUsntievrenr sity. OhiSot aUtnei verPsriet"syAs d.u Eldtu catiinJo onu,rno"af Hl i ghEedru ca2t3i:ao2nn,d "DoctaonrdD isciipnJl oeu,r"on fHa ilg hEedru ca2t3i:Co4on.p yr1i9g5hb2tyO hiSot ate UnivePrsrietsys . SocFiraoln t"iTehCrer. i isnCi osn tempEodruacrayt iinTo hnSe,o "cF iraoln Fteib1e.9r 3,9 . Copyr©i 1g9h3bt9yT heS ocFiraoln tIinecr., TeachAelrlsi aonfNc eewY orCki t"yT.r adiatnidNo onv eilntE yd ucatiinBo ent,t"e r SchoJouln1se9, 3 C9o.p yr©i 1g9h3bt9yT eachAelrlsi oafnN ceewY orCki ty. UniveorfCs hiitcya" gLoa.bL oeri,s aunrLdei ,b eErdaulc atiiJnoo nu,ro"Hnf (a qlEh deurc ation, Oct1.9 5C1o.p yr©i 1g9h5bt1yt hUen iveorfsC ihtiyc a"gLoi.b Eedruacla tiona-nTdh eory PractiinTc heUe,n "i veorfCs hiitcMyaa ggoa zMianre1c,9h 4C5o.p yr©i 1g9h4bt5yT !Utnei i1ersiry ofC hicMaaggoa zainntdeh A el umAnsis ocioaftt hiUeon ni veorfsC ihtiyc ago. UniveorfsD ietnyv" eErd.u caatnitdoh Pneu rsoufHi atp pinceosmsm,e"n caedmdernets s, May2 91,9 7C6o.p yr©i 1g9h7bt6yt hUen iveorfsD ietnyv er. CONTENTS ForewobryMda u,ric e B. Mitchell IX IntrodubcyGte rialdoinen V,an Doren 1 PART ONE. EDUCATION IN AMERICA-PROBLEMS ANDP RINCIPLES 7 1.T hiPsr e-WGaern eration 9 2.T heC hicaSgcoh ool 27 3.L iberaalniLdsi mb eErdaulc ation 47 4.A reT herAeb solauntUden ivePrrsianlc iples onW hicEhd ucaSthioounbl eFd o unded? 61 5.T radiatniPdor no grienEs dsu cation 75 6.E ducaatnidto hnPe u rsoufHi atp piness 91 Two. PART LIBERAL EDUCATION AND SCHOOLING 101 7.L aboLre,i saunrLdei ,b eErdaulc ation 103 8.L ibeErdaulc ation-aTnhdPe roarcyt ice 121 9.T heS choolionfag P eople 127 10L.i beSrcahlo oilnit nhTgew entiCeetnht ury 153 11W.h aIts B asAibco uEtn glish? 165 pA RTT HREET.E ACHIANNGD L EARNING 181 12T.e achainndLg e arning 183 13T.h eO rdeorfL earning 193 14D.o ctaonrdD isciple 211 15T.w oE ssaoynDs o cility 221 16E.d ucaBteiyoonSn cdho oling-The Tasokfa L ifetime 241 17T.h eG reBaoto kisnT odaWyo'rsl d 257 18I.n vittaott ihPoean i onfL earning 275 281 Notes BibliogrIanpfohrimcaatli on 283 FOREWORD Surely there cannot be a better time to assemble and publish the collected writings of Mortimer Adler in the field of education. The issue of educational reform is again at one of its cyclical peaks. Cries for a "return to basics" are accompanied by the insistence that every young scholar be prepared to "do something for a living." Defenders of the liberal arts and so-called progressive education are hard to find. There are those who would have us close the schools altogether. Dr. Adler's opinions, in the midst of this current flurry of concern, will not please everybody, but they will certainly provoke discussion and constructive thought. He has been known to declare that pain and work are essential ingredients in the learning process, and has described a fine adult education program as one in which everything is over everyone's head. His conviction that humanistic studies are basic to happiness establishes the ground on which future struggles for educational reform will be endured. My own introduction to Mortimer Adler took place a quarter­ century ago. Since that happy day I have read-or tried to read­ everything he has ever written. He taught me to deface his books by scribbling in the margins and underlining at will. In the process I came to appreciate the vigorous way in which he approached some of the most difficult areas of educational thought. Later, working more closely with him at Encyclopaedia Britannica Films and at the encyclopaedia itself, I was even more dazzled by the unity he could bring to a wide array of learning problems. He is unique and I have learned a great deal from him. In addition to the fine timing of this collection of articles and speeches, there are two other reasons to applaud this particular publication event: the publication in recent months of Philosopher at Large: An Intellectual Biography (Macmillan) and the completion and publication this year of Great Treasury of Western Thought, edited with Charles Van Doren (R. R. Bowker). Together with Reforming IX Foreword X Education, these provide added insights into the life and mind of one of the most remarkable men of this century. Maurice B. Mitchell Chancellor, University of Denver .... Reforming Education