Diligence In On Liberal And Vocational Studies

When Shorris explains his goal to the prospective students he indicates, “You’ve been cheated. Rich people learn the humanities; you didn’t. The humanities are a foundation for getting along in the world, for thinking, for learning to reflect on the world instead of just reaction to whatever force is turned against you.”(Page 4) That the rich have had the opportunity to buy that type of learning and embrace it, while the poor have had more things to deal with like getting food on the table from day to day. Therefore, Shorris believes that a liberal education will provide poor students with a new kind of lens to outlook the world. With the knowledge of philosophy, poetry, art history, logic and American history, Shorris trusts that these students will begin to uncover hidden talents and interests that will inspire them and help them to not only solve problems, but also seek plausible solutions. He believes that these qualities would provide the poor with an escape route from the ongoing cycle that have them trapped and it will provide them with “a certain kind of life, a richness of mind and spirit.” (Page 5) After his first thriving year teaching this class, sixteen of his prospective students completed the course, which then some went on to universities.

Percy would disagree with Du Bois that “old time glorified methods of delving the Truth, and searching the hidden beauties of life, and learning the good of living” is through being a “simple” student. One cannot be forced into liking something if they are truly not interested in it, but Du Bois argued that education is something that is necessary without taking into consideration the students desire to learn. Percy though, argued with an example that, “A student who has the desire to get at a dogfish or a Shakespeare sonnet may have the greatest difficulty in salvaging the creature itself from the educational package in which it is presented” (573). Percy suggests that the “educational package”

In James V, Schall’s A Students Guide to Liberal Learning, he addresses the idea and importance of an authentic liberal arts education. Schall inquires about books and scholars of which centralize around the idea of a liberal education and of which has shaped our society. Schall examines the works of several authors who are in his opinion the guides to learning, and his essay serves as a fundamental building block for the creation of a “Personal Library”.

All through history, many people have tried to achieve wisdom. One of Seneca’s readings, “On Liberal and Vocational Studies” portrays wisdom and how liberal art studies help aid to accomplish this. He continues to explain that any person with the determination to learn about it can seize wisdom. Wisdom can be acquired through not only liberal studies but also individual studies and experiences a person has been through.

Much like the ancient philosopher Socrates, Seneca the young strived to uphold the idea of ethical knowledge. Not going solely after ones desires it is better to be guided by reason to truly live a happy life. The idea of virtue and the liberal studies are the key points of Seneca’s letter “On Liberal and Vocational Studies”. In Seneca’s famous letter “On Liberal and Vocational Studies”, the only way to establish virtue is through the liberal study of wisdom. The effects of having virtue can be seen through harmony, temperance, and kindness.

The usage of the word that he likes the most based on his article is its relation to a Greek word that means free. He explains how he believes that having liberal arts education is freeing. In this form I agree with him. A liberal arts education is more versatile. I can take whatever I want and chose. If I went to Massachusetts Institute of Technology for example I would be imprisoned to doing those specific courses and the path that they set me on. At a liberal arts college I can take a business class one hour and the art history and appreciation for the finer arts where you can’t do that just anywhere. As he moves forward in his article however that is where I start to disagree. He makes a list of values that people who have had a liberal arts education possess. Values such as they listen and hear, that they detect logic and fully hear what you have to say. I have known many people who have that value and have not had a liberal arts education. They read and they understand, they can read any type of article you hand them whether its sports or arts or business they can read and understand it all. This is false my uncle who did not have

His education was classical, yet cosmopolitan, and, almost for the first time, thoroughly American. He was raised with high expectations, and he lived up to them. A lifelong learner, he read widely and studied under some of the finest minds of his generation. Excelling in every subject he

Critical thinking means to think correctly in to find knowledge that is relevant and reliable. In terms of a liberal arts education critical thinking is crucial because a liberal arts education teaches students skills that are needed in the rapidly changing world that usually requires a lifetime of self-learning and understanding. Critical thinking is something that people usually must learn on their own; however, as a liberal arts school it is taught, so we have a better understanding of thinking critically.

Born of different backgrounds, upbringings, and experiences, Epictetus and Seneca are Roman philosophers who outwardly appear very different. Epictetus spent most of his youth as a slave while Seneca was born into money and became a tutor of Nero. Although these two men seem to be very dissimilar, they each shared a common purpose in studying philosophy and teaching people on how to live well. Each suggested different paths for how to do so. Epictetus suggests in his book, The Discourses and The Enchiridion, that living a life in accordance with nature could be achieved by living moderately. Seneca suggests in his work, Letters from a Stoic, that a happy man is self-sufficient and realizes that happiness depends only on interior perfection. Despite the differences, both Epictetus and Seneca are considered Stoics because of their shared belief in the idea that character is the only guarantee of everlasting, carefree happiness. The world outside ourselves will never give us happiness, nor will it be responsible for our unhappiness. It doesn’t matter what’s happening outside ourselves, Epictetus and Seneca claim that the only thing that matters is how we interpret those events. Further evaluating Seneca’s, Letters from a Stoic and Epictetus’s, The Discourses and The Enchiridion, we will clearly be able to differentiate the two in their ideas and opinions regarding stoicism and the keys to living a well, happy life.

In this paragraph, I am going to elaborate on why I agree with Seneca’s reasoning and how it has helped me. After analyzing Seneca’s main arguments on ethics and reflecting on past events in which I reacted in an irrational manner, I have come to the conclusion that I exhibit destructive emotions predominantly when I desire something beyond my control. In Nassim Taleb’s “Fooled By Randomness,” one of the chapters is titled “If your so smart, why aren’t you rich?” It is a constant reminder to myself that acquiring prosperity has more to do with luck than one’s work ethic, but a strong work ethic does help. In mathematics, there is a simulation which can help show the sequence of sample paths that result from a random event. Taleb describes the Monte Carlo Simulation as, “One sets conditions believed to resemble the ones that prevail in reality, and launches a collection of simulations around possible event” (Taleb 43). These alternative sample paths illustrate all the potential outcomes, rather than only one, the one which plays out in history. Why is this important? It is relevant because it is something Seneca implicitly eluded to 2000 years ago; rather than solely focusing on the event that occurred, known as survivorship bias, they looked at the whole picture. They understood that adversity and luck were products of randomness. Therefore, they realized it was irrational to become dependent on such a thing, dependence breeds anxiety and other destructive emotions. A

In this paper you will learn my insights into my life. I will touch on my formal and informal education. I will reflect on the four Breadth areas of Ottawa University’s program of liberal arts studies. Future goals, philosophy, values, and obstacles will be discussed. This will include significant people and events that have happened in my life.

The future; after high school, after college, the future is a later time period that will happen in one’s life. For my future I plan to attend college and later become an engineer. College is one of the best choices available for high school graduates to ensure a successful future. Colleges offer specialized learning that when attended can open many opportunities. Two colleges I may attend after high school are Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) or California Institute of Technology (Caltech). After college I plan to choose a career in the field of engineering. Two career possibilities are Aerospace Engineering or Biomedical Engineering. By researching these two universities and two possible careers, I have learned about the many possibilities that lie ahead for my future.

One achieves virtue when one gains wisdom through life experiences. Seneca illustrates this through the use of several key examples. Seneca says, “But there is only one really liberal study -- that which gives a man his liberty. It is the study of wisdom.” Seneca is explaining that although liberal studies helps one with the bases of virtue, wisdom is the only true study that separates from the rest. Wisdom can be defined as learning life lessons rather than a math lecture. Seneca writes, “All other studies are puny and puerile.” Any study that has to do with money-making does

Liberal education enables people and sets them up to manage multifaceted nature, differing qualities, and change. It gives understudies wide information of the more extensive world (e.g. science, society, and society) and in addition top to bottom study in a particular range of hobby. A liberal instruction offers some assistance with developing a feeling of social obligation, and solid and transferable scholarly and down to earth aptitudes, for example, correspondence, explanatory and critical thinking abilities.

Through the examples of Oedipus and Socrates, the saying “the unexamined life is not worth living” proves true in three ways: first, to live a life full of discovery is a direct calling from God; second, an examined life leads to humbleness; and lastly, a life spent in investigation will constantly be in pursuit of truth.