Philosophical diversity, part one

The following tape recorded program is a presentation of the National Association of educational

broadcasters.

Hazards to education in the United States.

The University of Chicago radio office presents the third in a series of four talks by Robert

Hudgens associate director of the Ford Foundation. Mr. Hutchens spoke under the

auspices of the Walgreen lectureship at the University of Chicago. Today's program is

entitled philosophical diversity.

Mr. Hodgins.

We talked last night about

a problem arises by philosophical diversity. Is

essential. That is the problem

of forming a community and the absence of communication

and the educational system and particularly in the university.

It is the problem of forming a thinking community when the

members of the community cannot think together because they

cannot communicate with one another.

Specialization means that specialized man

cannot think together because their training and their work have split them off from other men.

Philosophical diversity may mean that men cannot think together

because their principles tacit or expressed

are so different that their conversation if they try to have any

vote is on parallel lines.

This problem is of course particularly difficult

because philosophy is itself a university department.

And is itself highly specialized.

Since philosophy is a university department it cannot be the

concern of any other part of the university.

We all know that only the English department can do anything

about the kind of writing done by the students at the university.

It would be presumptuous for the History Department to set any literary

standards for its students just as as it is

generally thought important for the English department to

pretend to know anything about history. I shall

always treasure the remark. Of the chairman of the mathematics

department at Chicago. Now long since gone to

his reward.

He was discussing the future of one of his most promising graduate students

and Man of the highest mathematical ability. He said you know

Mr. Hutchens I think he's crazy in

some alarm I asked why.

And the chairman replied why he's interested in philosophy.

If this was a situation in mathematics. And I imagine what

I have seen happen when young men in science or in medicine.

They exhibited the same wayward tendency to wonder about

the wonder about the fundamental presuppositions of their work.

As a university department philosophy a subject to Wallie

other influences affecting university departments such as

they are universally aroused by experimental science.

The misconception of research and the horrible fate

that has overtaken a once proud degree of Doctor of Philosophy.

A specialized department of philosophy. Often appears to be

non humanistic or even anti humanistic.

Non-intellectual or even anti intellectual and

gauged in the manufactured by esoteric names of

PH days who will teach in other departments of philosophy and whose

work cannot possibly be of interest. The one a body but persons teaching

and departments of philosophy.

Things are of course in this respect. No better outside the

university than with then. Which is cause and which is a

fact. I do not pretend to know in

a world gone mad over technology science or the

production of material goods and lengthening human life.

It is not to be expected that the enlightenment that philosophy might

provide would be greatly sought after or highly valued.

Nor can I claim that all modern philosophy does the same at first glance

capable of shedding much riper. Pragmatism

and positivism. Provide no standard for the criticism of thought.

Pragmatism provides perhaps a criterion of action.

Positivism doesn't even do that. And

it's logical or mathematical manifestations

positivism seems to be the efflorescence of man's

despair that he cannot more easily make intelligible

statements about the world. Marxism

is of course an explanation for everything. But entirely

aside from its current vulnerability as the official

dogma of the political order that is repulsive to Rice.

Marxism fails to account in a rational way for so

many important facts about man that it is hard to take its

philosophical pretensions very seriously.

The prevailing positivism and scientism assure

us that only the verifiable facts preferably that was

verified in the laboratory and be in any real sense known

to us. Since man's terrestrial salvation

depends on knowledge. We can rest only to the verifiable facts

to save us. Positivism and scientism

regard themselves as completing the task done by

Epicurus and gracious two thousand years ago.

The task of ridding mankind of its superstitious.

Since then the work of many professional philosophers isn't

applicable to any of the problems of life. And

since the rhetoric of many is directed to showing that no philosophy

can have any but a harmful effect on life and since all

philosophers seem to disagree anyway. It is natural

that the world has become more and more until our

handy philosophical. Why worry about something as vague

useless confusing contradictory and menacing as philosophy

seems to be.

And yet civilization is a deliberate pursuit

of a common ideal. Education is a

deliberate attempt to form men in terms of an ideal.

That is the attempt of a society to produce the type of man that

it wants. How does a society determine the type of

man it wants. If it doesn't know the type of man that it

wants How does it judge the educational efforts it makes.

It may be said of course that the type of man I Society wants

is a product of many historical and psychological factors.

And that whatever philosophy enters into the formation of its vision

of man. Is simply a rationalization of

this largely unconscious product. But

even if this were so we know that in every society

there is some vision of man and nature and his destiny.

It is elaborated by philosophers living and dead. And

this vision interacts with the traditional view of the type of

man desired and this special philosophical vision

does amount to a criticism of the tradition and practices

of the educational system. Education

without a colossal feat of education. Without that is a

coherent statement of the aims and possibilities of education is

impossible. Of

course a custodial system is possible without a philosophy

of education. Already other kind of philosophy

of cause study or system may in fact be regarded as the

efflorescence of a society's despair but it can make no

rational incoherent statement about the type of man that it wants to

produce. Society therefore declines to

leave the matter to chance providing harmless accommodation and

occupation for the young until they reach maturity.

This I should be careful to point out is an entirely different thing from

saying that the kind of man we want is one who can thank and act for

him south and they're forever going to let him learn for himself.

While the educational system doesn't really matter for him than keep him out of harm's

way.

Though I do not favor this philosophy of education. I admit it is one.

This is an adaptation of the Lasik fair our free enterprise system to wedge a

cation that approaches no one popular at Harvard until

the retirement of President Alyea and vestiges

of this philosophy still remain to plague the

universities. And some variations of what is known as

progressive education seem to be built on the same premises.

The term most obvious disadvantages of the Harvard elective system.

I don't progressive education. Our first but in a way

implies that teachers need not know any more than their pupils. What an

education it is. And second they break up the community of

learning that might exist among his students and deprive them of

the assistance of their fellow students during their schooling of their

ability to communicate with their fellow students during their schooling and with their

fellow man and later life.

A custody all system that frank and open kind

which American education seems bent on developing requires

neither philosophy nor educational philosophy. And the

question is whether the philosophical diversity now rampant in the

road leads inevitably to a custody all system.

Must we say that because philosophers differ and some

even hold that there is no such thing as philosophy. We cannot have a

philosophy of education and hence not an educational system.

I assume that we would like to have an educational system rather than a

custodial one if we could.

If we are to have a philosophy of education it has to rest on

a rational conception of man and society. It also has

to take into account the philosophical diversity characteristic of our

time and has to take a cup moreover of the fact that

there is no authority that can decide among competing philosophies

the incredible number of school boards legislatures roads or

bridges boards of trustees together with principals superintendents

presidents chancellors and faculties are almost all of them

more or less autonomous or taught autonomous centers of educational

decision and business of raising ourselves by our

own bootstraps. You know one new one rational world will not be easy.

Well let us see what we can learn from Utopia.

Utopia is singularly like the United States and that there is no

central educational authority. Nevertheless

it has been able to develop a philosophy of education.

It has been able to do this in spite of the fact that in Utopia

too there is philosophical diversity

utopians even and says that philosophically very city is a good thing.

They say that it is always existed even in those periods of history

in which there has been a strong religious or political authority that

nominally exercised control over the thoughts of man.

Utopians pointed out that such authorities have never succeeded

and have usually not tried to suppress philosophical

diversity. That phenomenon has been a

manifestation of modern progress and has appeared only

with the totalitarian state. Of

course there are in Utopia no under specialized

institutions the utopians have never allowed

themselves to be annoyed by such slogans as adjusting the

young to their environment or meeting the immediate needs of society

because they have sharply defined the purpose of their educational system

and its purpose is to promote the intellectual development of the people.

The reason for the strength of the utopian family and the utopian church

and the utopian educational system is that each has its prescribed

task. No utopian for example. Whatever I've been

guilty of the proposition advanced to me the other day by an

eminent bishop in California. Who said that education

should be limited to the elite and that the that the mass of the

people should receive such culture as they need from the family and the

church. The utopians think that intellectual

development is too important to be left to amateurs.

And since they are devoted to democracy. They do not see how they can

maintain and improve it unless every citizen has a

chance to become as wise as he can.

The utopians are a sensible people.

They know enough to know the children of the age of sex cannot and should

not do the kind of work and school that fairground men should tackle

utopians not all the physical and moral development are involved in Maori

and intellectual development. Their educational system makes

provision for the participation of educators in physical and

moral development at the proper stages and the proper ways.

But never in such ways as to confuse anybody about who has the

responsibility at each stage for intellectual development and who

are marital and physical growth.

Utopians believe that education is a

conversation aimed at truth. Their

object is to get everybody to take part in this conversation.

They're there for a start their children off by teaching them the techniques of

conversation. Those of you who have children

may fail at this is a work of supererogation

but the utopians believe that there is a great difference between chattering and can very

sing. The first 10 years of the utopian

educational system is devoted first of all to teaching reading

writing and figuring out the cause they are aware of the

axiom that subjects that cannot be understood without

experience should not be taught to those who are without experience.

They do not go out there and experience children with what are called

the Social Studies. They want to face

the minds and touch to the imagination. But the kind of knowledge

suitable to the years of children in the first 10 years of his

education therefore in addition to the subjects I have already mentioned

the young utopian studies history geography and the greatest

literature of the world. It is not supposed that he will

understand all the implications of history and literature

but it is believed that he should be introduced to them in childhood and in

such a way that he will want to continue to study them all his life.

Since nobody can understand his own language or what our language is

by speaking or studying his own every young

master is a foreign language. And every young utopian studies

science for this subject. The utopians regard is

indispensable to understanding the modern world and they believe

that as a subject it does not require experience. It is one

appropriate to children.

In view of the celebrity eyed utopians have achieved in the world of art and

music I need hardly add that all of them study these

subjects.

By the age of 16 therefore the young utopian. I

studied very few disciplines but he has studied

all rows appropriate to his time of life.

The object has been to get him to go on studying them as long as he lives.

The object has also been to fed him to wonder stand any new idea

already new field that presents itself to him and the

great overruling object has been to prepare him to become

a member of the Republic of learning and of the political

Republic. Almost all the teaching in Utopia

is conducted through discussion. The educational system

is a paradigm of the conversation through which learning is

advanced and throw which item ocracy works.

At the age of 16. Earlier if he is ready for it

the utopian passes into the college.

Harry continues to study history geography literature science

music and art but the emphasis shifts.

From learning the techniques of communication to obtaining familiarity

with the principal views of the world that men have developed on the

leading ideas that have animated mankind.

The curriculum from the beginning of the elementary school through the college

is completely prescribed whereas students.

Utopians do not believe that any civilized man can omit

any of the subjects that are included in the course of study

and they do not doubt that the educational profession is better

qualified to say what children should study than the children themselves.

The utopians have heard of the American plan by which a certain

number of courses whatever they are finally add up to a

degree but the utopians are as I have said

sensible people.

The credit system has never been introduced among them.

This is one of the things that makes the country utopia.

Somewhere between the ages of 18 and 20

or whenever he is ready. The Utopian presents himself for

examination that cover the whole of his education up to that point.

These examinations which are constructed by an outside board

reflect what the educational profession of utopia. Thanks OG. I was a

liberal education and education appropriate to a free man.

If the student passes these examinations he is awarded the degree of

Bachelor of Arts utopians have never been confused

about the award of this degree at this stage because a degree is never been

debased and our certificate of time served or

credits accumulated or a license to enter a graduate school

or a qualification for membership in the University Club.

The Bachelor of Arts degree and Utopia has always stood for

a liberal education and this is what the examinations at the

end of the College of Utopia stand for till.

After leaving the college. The young utopian has two courses open to him.

He may either enter upon the task of earning his living in the

justly famous free enterprise system of his country.

Or you may if he is qualified proceed to the university.

But it never occurs to any utopian that his education should stop

when he leaves college whether he goes into the university or not.

I have said that one of the premises upon which the educational program of

Utopia is constructed is that subjects that cannot be

understood without experience. Should not be taught to the

inexperienced. History and Literature or

are therefore taught only by way of introduction in the schools and college

of utopia. The social sciences do not appear as such at

all. Yet the utopians recognize that history

literature and such knowledge as a social sciences have gained

must be understood by civilized men utopians

also believe that a man must go on learning all his life that

he can do so if he is a man and if he does not do so he

will cease to be one. Therefore the

whole country is dotted with centers of education

for adults young and old where the most important

theoretical and practical questions are discussed.

Some of these adult education groups again with the current issue of the

utopian times and work backward to first principles.

Some of these groups began with Homer o enjoys a considerable

reputation in Utopia and work forward to the pressing

problems of the day. The object of these groups

is not to confer the social prestige or vocational advancement

upon the members. It is to continue the intellectual develop

the liberal education of the individual as utopian and

demand. The centers of

adult education and Utopia are all residential.

The people have learned that the educational consequences of

evening classes scattered over a period of weeks well they're better

than nothing. Do not compare with the results that can be

achieved by having groups live together for a limited time

and share in that continuous conversation about important

subjects. Which to utopian is education.

The whole industrial and agricultural life of the country.

Revolves around the obligation that is fed by the whole community

to spend some part of each year an organized study of this kind.

No utopian would think of taking a vacation and the American

sense of the word and the summer resorts and even the winter resorts of

that country are really centers of adult education.

The organization of the University of utopia. I've

already roughly described it as

constituted of institutions of about 25

professors. Until hundred and fifty students each.

These institutions are exclusively residential for the same

reason that the centers of adult education and Utopia are residential

specialized study and Utopia begins only in the university.

The university is built on the principle that man home must be

intensively trained in the specialties must not lose their liberal

education or their ability to communicate with other men

or their interest in an capacity to understand ideas in any

field of learning.