William Cronon Only Connect Analysis

In William Cronon’s essay “Only Connect… The Goals of a Liberal Arts Education,” he mentions the qualities or values that a student who was immersed in the foundation of a liberal arts education should have gained. These qualities range from the ability to comprehend what one is reading to more advanced ideas such as one’s ability to ‘nurture and empower people around them’. Cronon doesn’t explicitly say that one only gains these skills through a liberal education, but he does hint that these skills do set liberally educated pupils apart. Right before he lists the qualities he asks the question “How does one recognize liberally educated people?” (Cronon 4). Hinting towards the idea that these skills distinguish such people from those who did not receive such schooling. Although I do agree with the concept that a liberal arts education provides a route for gaining such qualities, I cannot accept the notion that a liberal arts education is the only way one can gain these important life skills because many people are born with these qualities or learn them in multiple different way that are not related to a college degree.

I am writing to you today in response to a piece I just read called “Only Connect…The Goals of a Liberal Education” that you wrote almost two decades ago. As you’ve probably been told, this is one of the clearest arguments that I have ever read. I was presented with the article and your definition of a liberal education sounded like it lined up with what I had perceived be the purpose of a liberal education without even taking a shot at it. The piece I most admired is “A liberal education is not something any of us ever achieve, it is not a state. Rather, it is a way of living in the face of our own ignorance, a way of groping toward wisdom in full recognition of our own folly, a way of educating ourselves without any illusion that our educations will ever be complete”. This quote resonates with my own personal qualities because someone such as myself that attends a school like Wentworth Institute of Technology is told to always hone and desire a lifelong education. If we didn’t continue to learn and acquire the newest information we wouldn’t be successful in our fields. Adapting to the times keeps you proficient in your work. As you mentioned a liberal education is not something you achieve today or tomorrow but rather a way of life.

In the article The Liberal Arts Are Not Elitist written by Martha Nussbaum it was said that “Education is not just for citizenship. It prepares people for employment and for lives of rich significance.” That to me is what the goal of a liberal education is, to provide a basic knowledge in multiple areas of content such as: math, reading, writing, history, and science, with addition to preparing a person for global citizenship and to live a fulfilling life. To be a global citizen, means that the person needs to be aware of what is going on in the world around them, to contribute to society, understands how the world works, takes responsibility for their own actions and to be self-sufficient. I strongly believe to receive a true liberal

Most of all, having what Ben Franklin calls, an “intense and broad-ranging curiosity” (114), provides benefits in that one will more likely be willing to pursue a liberal education, even if it is through MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses), and in doing so, will enlarge and broaden their vision, which will ultimately be an important factor in living an altruistic life. Without experiencing a liberal education, it will be difficult to completely appreciate its value to not only oneself, but to society at

Education is a process where one learns and apply the same learned information to a practical situation. Isaac Newton, a physicist and a mathematician, managed to discover the indescribable universe we now know, because of what we call liberal education. He did not study physics only but he learned other subjects including mathematics. He understood the basis needed to discover now called the imaginary world, universe. Moreover, author Sanford J. Ungar also portrayed the same idea about the importance of liberal education. He pointed it as a way to create capable and cultivated human beings. Liberal arts broaden the way humans think, such that we not only focus on one skill to tackle a problem but to look at range of skills. Additionally, the author also answered the wired misconceptions that are already in peoples’ minds by proving them wrong.

What is a liberal arts education? Many students think that a liberal arts education just teaches students what they need to know for their future job. However, according to Arthur Holmes, in his essay Liberal Arts, a Liberal arts education “concentrates on what shapes a person’s understanding and values rather than on what he can use in one or two of the changing roles he might later play” (Timmerman and Hettinga 387-388). Liberal arts does not focus only on developing the mind, but also developing the character of the student (387). A liberal arts education is practical because it reinforces the knowledge students should already know (Stull, Richard Allen 39). For example, in high school everyone was required to learn the history of the nation and the world, but upon coming to college, the student learns the history of his major. This year I am taking

Liberal Education isn’t focused on the political aspect of liberalism, however focuses on liberating its students by giving students space to explore their passions deeply. This exploration cannot happen in an education program that is built off of individualism and its exclusivity must constantly be challenged. As Cronon states, “We should remember the powerful class and gender biases that were built into this vision of freedom. The “free man” who studied the Liberal Arts were male aristocrats; these specialized bodies of knowledge were status markers that set them apart from “unfree” serfs and peasants, as well as from the members of other vulgar and ignoble classes. Our modern sense of Liberal Education has expanded from this medieval foundation to include a greater range of human talents and a much more inclusive number of human beings, holding out at least the dream that everyone might someday be liberated by an education that stands in the service of human freedom” (Olejarz, 2017). Liberal Education isn’t about mastering a particular subject. Instead Liberal Education is about mastering positive characteristics that foster a deeper sense of personal identity and cultivate human freedom.

The meaning and purpose of a liberal arts education are to achieve education further than merely college core, but also to prepare you for future occupations. A liberal arts education introduces profession opportunities and builds a foundation

Those in society that exhibited a form of liberal education used their knowledge and applied it to their daily life. This learned logic gives them a deeper understanding view of the world. People such as Bill Gates, Barack Obama, used what they learned in order to achieve a form of liberal education which encompasses the ten skills and application of traditional education. They are liberated in using what they have learned, programming, and law in order to become well known world/company leaders. The ten qualities stated in your “Only Connect” only deal with the social skills an individual must have in order to be a “liberally educated person. One of the skills that I find interesting and contradicts part of your view is that, “They understand

A liberal education is having a wide range of

"Aspects of recent debates about the value of a liberal arts education, its usefulness and its appropriateness strike a familiar and disturbing historical chord." Recently in English class, my peers and read and discussed an article titled, "Why We Need Liberal Arts" written by Joseph R. Urgo from The Baltimore Sun. This article is about the importance and value of a liberal arts education. Liberal arts are college or university studies (as language, philosophy, literature, abstract science) intended to provide chiefly general knowledge and to develop general intellectual capacities (as reason and judgment) as opposed to professional or vocational skills Society may say that college is a waste of time and money, but is it really? Some people

After college, graduates have better job security and are less likely to be unemployed (Leonhardt). Employers are more likely to go with the one who has acquired more skills and teaching than someone with the minimal school required. Since graduates go and usually major in the field of work they want to go into, they have the education needed to do their job right. The development of a broader, more critical way of thinking that is associated with liberal learning can help a graduate when they are making decisions in their life (Roth). One can apply what they learned from furthered education to guide the direction of their life and make practical choices. Graduates know that when they come out with their degree, no matter what they are, they will be more than likely to have a job. Apart from the money, education seems to make people happier and healthier (Leonhardt). With college, graduates have a secure future and have the opportunity to achieve their ambitions.

This is because his theory of learning serving intelligence coincides with my own thought that the point of an education is to prepare me for a career. The information I will learn at Baylor will translate into intelligence I have over my chosen field, thus increasing the importance of a liberal education now. As seen in my own high school, a liberal education is not as prevalent but instead the presence of a standardized learning system is overpowering to the students including myself. This system doesn’t prepare for the complexity of the real world thus, further emphasizing the importance of a liberal education.

Ungar insists that everyone attend a college that would equip them with an in-depth liberal education, rather than just training them for their job. Murray on the other hand, proposes this liberal education be started in advance before the student comes to college, and also promotes self-education. Although Ungar insists being grounded in the liberal arts would give college students special skills that would put them above the average, Murray makes the better claim. Following Ungar’s plan would restrict a full liberal education to only those who are privileged enough to receive a college education.

In today's society, students are questioned on their degrees and studies. If a student studies a certain topic, their relatives may wonder and question what type of life is set out for the child based on their education. Although others may fail to see what students will do with their knowledge, the student withholds capabilities that extend beyond their own knowledge. With the obtained knowledge the students possess, they could change the world. These topics that seem to have no use to a student are called the Liberal Arts. In an article titled "Why We Need the Liberal Arts" by Joseph R. Urgo, from The Baltimore Sun, these philosophies and theories are explained and brought to a further extent.