Princeton University - Bric A Brac Yearbook (Princeton, NJ)

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Department of Modern Languages and Literatures Back Row: Russell, Carpenter, McCormick, Radoyce. Milligan, Guillen, Hughes, Gontrum. Third Roiv: Llorens, Spycher, Sicroff, Bates, Taraba, Seymour, Coon, Sellstrom, Schaum. Second Row: Tomlins, Marshall, Hartle, Lynch, Bill, Eristoff. Turkevich, ' Jones, Mason, Armistead, Edgerton. Front Row: Alden, Foulet, MacAllister, Borgerhoff, Wade, von Wiese, King, Sullivan, Hollmann. IVloRE departments in the university are concerned with the humanities than with either the social or the natural sciences, and yet it might seem to an outsider that for an education in the humanities we need no university at all. No laboratories are required, perhaps not even professors. Philosophy and literature, whether English or Oriental, Classical or Modern, one can read for one- self. That is equally true of the so-called great books and of histories and interpretations. So it might be argued that a university should not bother with these subjects, and that those interested in the humanities are wasting their time going to a university. This problem is serious, and some reflection on it may illuminate the role of a university in the modern world and the principles shared not only by many professors teaching the humanities but also by thousands of others who believe in the importance of liberal arts colleges. Let me suggest three basic principles together with their major implications. The first principle is that it is not the main function of a university, let alone a college, to distribute infor- mation. At least since the invention of printing a few hundred years ago, that purpose could be accomplished far more cheaply without classrooms and professors. There would be no need for any physical plant where students come together and within speaking distance of professors. The importance of this first principle becomes clear when we consider two of its consequences. First: It cannot be the main function of a professor to report or outline to his students what they can find out more authoritatively, even if less entertainingly, from reading the material first-hand. Second: It cannot be the main function of a professor to read to the students what (il he is about to publish or (iil has already published — for in both cases students could read it for themselves — nor (iiil what he will not publish because it really does not merit publication (for in that case the students would do better to read something that was worth publishing). As long as a professor reads to his students — however dramatically — it would save his time and theirs if they could read his lectures, mimeographed, at their own convenience. Seated in a comfortable chair, they could read these lectures faster than the professor reads them out loud, and by underlining the main points they would probably get more out of them than they ever do out of their lecture notes. If the professor ' s rendition should be superlative, it could be immortalized on a tape-recorder and made available in a number of ways — perhaps even over the radio. In neither case need retirement deprive future generations of the rare com- bination of ham and egghead. But for all this, we need no universities. The second principle is that it is the function of a university to provide what cannot be provided cheaper or more effectively in some other way; namely, to crack narrow horizons and to educate students to think for themselves by forcibly exposing them to a wide varietv of perspectives, making it impossible for them to avoid 27

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Department of PH1LOSOPH1 Bark Row: Wand, rner. Second Row: Bromberger, Putnam, Oliver, Lord, Bedau, Mehlberg. Front Row: Smith, la ii». I. rlempel, Szathmary. HUMANITIES 1:1 Walter Arnold Kaufmann, I ' h.d. Associate Professor oj Philosophy f % Professor Walter A. Kaufmann lii pari hi nt of English Back Row: Moynahan, Whitman, tagell, Ward, Rosa, Downer, Thorpe, Johnson, Ryskamp, Austen. Third Ron: h Kelley, Horeford, Moore, Howell, Holland, Shea, C.uiiut, Tli i .-. »ti. Dunklin. Second Row- Itla. kmiii . Hubler, Pa i-. Paterson, Green, Robertson, Miller, Eberhart, Schwarz. Front Row: Lands, Finch, I owley, Bakei ( hairman), Bentley, Thorp, Elsasser. 26

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opposition cither by a narrow (hoicc of readings or by refusing to take initially uncongenial ideas seriously. Vgain, the implications of this principle will bring out what is at stake. In his course work, the student must not be allowed to specialize narrowly, and he must not attach himself, as is the custom ill (iermany, to a single professor who be- i-i.ine his godfather and patron. Moreover, not only the faculh as a whole but e en the professors in each depart- ment should represent a wide ariet of points of view. What the -indents should In- taught above all else is critical thinking and. if possible. res| sible originality. The third principle i that these things which a uni- crsit can and should pro ide are of the utmost impor- tance bulb for the budding specialist and for our societj as a whole. free societj cannot endure unless there are large numbers of people who respect a wide variety of different points of view, trj to evaluate them critically, and know- that authority must be respected only where it prevails after critical examination — or in other words, that no man ran ever have more than provisional authority. This is an insight and a habit which our colleges should try tn instill not only in the future specialists but also in those thousands whose formal education ends when they graduate. The specialists who learn this will profit both as specialists and citizens. Their specialties they can and must work up largely for themselves, in the library or lab. But the universit) should provide what one cannot better learn by oneself. As J. S. Mill said in his Inaugural Vddress at St. Andrews in 1867: Men are men before the) are lawyers or physicians or manufacturers; and if Department of Classics Back Row: Mackenzie, Armstrong, Porter, Coleman-Norton, Bourne, Coheen. Front Run: West, Dickwoith, Oates, Goilolpliin, Fine. you make them capable and sensible men tbe will make themselves capable and sensible lawyers and physicians. To capable and sensible I should add critical and responsible. From what has been said so far. I should draw three small conclusions and one big one. The function of a liberal arts education is not to turn out well-rounded men who can chat with some assurance about a wide variety of subjects. It is not to breed cither ideal dinner guests or future ' authorities. It is rather to turn out men who won ' t be taken in by people who chat with assurance about a wide ariet of subjects: men who. confronted |i A H KtViJ 111 1 1 ' 1 ' H r M H mk i 1 , Aia H El i CBr i iW I li PARI HEM I ol MUSIC llm I, Row, Powers, Forbes, Babbitt. Front Run: knapp, So-inn-, Mendel, Weinricb, Cone. Department of Orkntai 1 ingi ices imd Literatures Back Ron: Sa ' iil. Korean. lm-I n lm. I. Monks, Hazard, Kritxeck, Pourhadi. Front Row: ZiaoVli, Gehman, Young, GuiBaume, Thomas. 28