Abstract
Catholic education has a long tradition of engagement with the liberal arts and especially the humanities. The place of the humanities today in the curriculum is under threat for several reasons, one being the predominance of the technocratic mentality. This paper revisits (in three steps) the contested issue of the role of the humanities in education. First, I review arguments about the role of the humanities within education. Second, some of the defects of the technocratic mentality are pointed out. Third, a Christian lens for viewing the humanities is deployed. Here I propose that the humanities play a valuable role in nurturing the imagination, thereby contributing both to a capacity to transcend the technocratic outlook and to the development of the holistic and humanising education that is central to a Catholic worldview.
Highlights
The kind of education that takes place anywhere is a response to the pressures and demands of a particular context, and it draws upon the resources available in that context.That education is a response to the priorities, purposes and predominant values of the people and it seeks to develop the qualities, skills and knowledge they believe they need to address these desirable qualities in order to cope with and to flourish in their context
This paper proposes that an important role for teaching the humanities today lies in their capacity to provide a counterweight to the prevailing power of the technocratic mentality
I have identified a major threat to the humanities and to the humanising approach to education that is central to Catholic education
Summary
The kind of education that takes place anywhere is a response to the pressures and demands of a particular context, and it draws upon the resources available in that context. Scholars need a disciplined mind, literacy and facility in the ways of learning Those destined for leadership are expected to develop independence, initiative and ambition, and, in some cases, today as in the past, high-level skill in persuasion. Imagination’, begins by proposing that the criterion of conformity to Christ as the goal of human development, as seen by Christians, leads them to both value and yet to relativise the role of education, and, by implication, the humanities too, before going on to give special emphasis to the role of the humanities in nurturing imagination, in supporting the development of the Cardinal Virtues and, more broadly, in serving to counter the defects of the technocratic mentality
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
