Rethinking the Criteria for Liberal Education Courses

Sheldon Rothblatt argues that the subject does not define liberal education but rather that anything taught liberally constitutes liberal education. We partially agree with Rothblatt's assertion. In short, while we concur with his claim that not all traditional liberal arts automatically constitute liberal education, we believe that for liberal education to be taught and learned liberally, the curriculum should be centered around the traditional liberal arts. This argument unfolds in three distinct phases, each contributing to a deeper understanding of liberal education. The first phase delves into the elements that define liberal education, drawing on Rothblatt's assertion and the case of Harvard's general education. This analysis presents civic engagement and adaptability as crucial yet often overlooked components of liberal education. In the second phase, we introduce the concepts of ‘fundamentality’ and ‘openness’ as pivotal to liberal teaching within liberal education. ‘Fundamentality’ refers to the ability to question fundamental principles, laws, and assumptions openly. To satisfy these elements, we argue that disciplines from the traditional liberal arts are indispensable in liberal education. The final phase will demonstrate the need for ‘fundamentality’ and ‘openness’ through the example of logical education. We will illustrate issues that arise from using inference rules of classical logic without precisely understanding their meaning and show that overcoming these problems requires openness to questioning. This will show why the liberal education curriculum should be structured around traditional liberal arts disciplines.