A draft of a paper for my doctoral studies.....

The Ideal of the Educated Person
By Paul Jackson
EARLY DRAFT
To begin any discussion on an “ideal” of an educated person, one must begin with a frame of reference. As this is a doctoral program utilizing the Great Books, my frame of reference will be reflective of that—I will look at a classical version of the ideal; a historical perspective rooted in what those authors chosen by Adler et al have at their heart to be the ideal.1 I shall also address my personal biases within this frame; that even though there is much to be garnered, studied and even emulated in the Great Books, my practice as an educator inevitably informs my “ideal” of an educated person. That my personal biases often intersect with the theories and thoughts from our Great Authors is only indicative of that reason I was attracted to Harrison Middleton in general and this program in particular—I admit to a certain elitism; nay, I embrace it and celebrate it.

To begin, let’s look at the frame from Adler’s perspective. Not only is education to be striven for, but it is to be striven for in a manner that challenges notions of rank and hierarchically structured systems. Adler wanted to create a way in which the common man might achieve a liberal education using the great thinkers from the past. By creating a system of syntopical cross-referencing, Adler and his team were able to transform the ancient Trivium and Quadrivium forms of the curricula into a practical form able to be utilized by today’s “common” man, as it were. Deducting out from this then is Adler’s ideal of the educated person—one who was able to navigate, manipulate and discuss the Great Authors in a manner that assists one with their educational goals. That this comes from one enmeshed in a higher education system (University of Chicago) is ultimately surprising and downright heretical. What Adler is actually calling for, in its purest form, would lead to the demise of higher education systems. That is, if people were to become truly self efficacious, there would be little or no need for a hierarchical system of education. However, given my personal experience with human nature, it would be some time before this would become a major issue. Perhaps the internet will assist in this endeavor?
Cite: Hutchens, Adler, Aristotle

Then one major feature of our ideal must be self-efficacy; an ability to teach oneself, to evaluate where one is in relation to one’s educational goals, and then to plan where to go next. The autodidact is the classical embodiment of this ideal. The down side to this is the potential for “false” learning—that is, by isolating oneself entirely from a community of learners, one may learn something incorrectly, or even develop habits that allow for the continual learning of wrong information. Where the Great Conversation assists with this idea is just that—it provides a sounding board for “correct” learning or “right” learning. The Great Conversation keeps one on an even keel, while allowing for movements in dangerous directions—by having a conversation with another versed in the curricula, we are able to steer our ship of learning back on course.
Cite:?

The previous ship metaphor provides us with another major feature of our “ideal”: Flexibility and comfort with ambiguity. The educated person must be able to navigate the murkiest of waters and be satisfied with perhaps never reaching the shore of their objective. Delicate shades of gray inhabit the palate of the educated person while they search for the shore of knowledge. They can be satisfied with not knowing, but that very fact of not knowing often leads them onto a different path in their search and they are able to perhaps discover other things on the way. Comfort with ambiguity and a dislike of dogmatic, reflexive knowledge allows the ideal to be creative in their search for knowledge. Of course, the downside of this is that an educated person without the rhetorical faculties to fight off the dogmatists often causes their arguments to add fuel to the dogmatists.
Citations: ???

Insatiable curiosity must also be a fundamental of our Ideal. When primitive or natural man (as Rousseau might call him) discovers ways in which to survive in nature, there is curiosity at play. Most mammals and all primates exhibit this curiosity when confronted with novelty in their environment. I am instantly reminded of Piggy and his friends from “The Lord of the Flies” and how those young men descended into primitive states during their ordeal. These boys instantly took advantage of their new freedoms and plunged into either the natural world (Jack and his band) or Ralph, with Piggy as his lieutenant, attempting to establish those institutions and power structures that they knew from civilization. Both of our groups exhibit curiosity (albeit necessary from the plot devices) that one truly believes one would experience in a similar situation. William Golding’s use of such a traumatic event actually forces us to consider the humanity within us—and the insatiable curiosity that could lead to either course being a potential choice for each of us. Curiosity did indeed kill the feline, did it not?
Cite: Rousseau, Bacon, Vonnegut?

When one thinks of the educated person, thoughts of refinement are often bandied about. I tend to think of the classic image from my cinematic and literary experience—the shabbily dressed and rumpled professor, late for a lecture, but brilliant in his performance of that lecture and somehow admired and emulated by colleagues. A theatrical image, but one that I think grows out of the tradition of the dons at Cambridge and Eton and Kent. And, as Americans with a rich tradition of cinema determining our common icons, this is only fitting. Of course, the downside here is one of elitism and stratification. That is—a perception that one who is educated will hold their selves in higher esteem and be set apart in society. I would argue that society has a tendency to place those who educate themselves into a higher category—and why not? We reward those whose studies in the end provide greater benefit to mankind. Whereas the Doctor of Philosophy may receive derision and calumny, he does provide a number of benefits to the society in which he lives and works. Granted, if this Doctor of Philosophy separates himself into his “ivory tower” and refuses to participate in his community, perhaps he deserves their injury. Either way, he does provide a number of benefits whether intrinsic or extrinsic. Intrinsically, he publishes papers, teaches classes and influences his colleagues for gain or naught. Extrinsically, he provides a model of the “ideal” that can be used for comparison and contrast with others in learned professions. His living example of an ideal of the educated person provides us with some sense of that ideal.

Perhaps if we were to dig deeper into this ideal we’d see a starker reality; deadlines to be met, grants to be acquired, a dean to appease and all of the trappings of modern academic life. In fact, he is much like any other in a modern American profession—bound to those tasks which identify and define him. And what of the academicians who inhabit everyday life but have not made a career out of it—that is; what of the CEO who is also an excellent philosopher or student of anthropology? Where does this person fit into my ideal or a learned person?
Cite: Eton College Website,

So what have I brought us? I have brought us a list of certain characteristics that the ideal of the educated person should possess; self-awareness, self-efficacy and an insatiable curiosity as well as an ability to be comfortable with ambiguity. I hope to link this fundamental set of skills to the later discussions and build further on my brief exploration herein. Knowledge is power—but only to those who understand that knowledge can be much more than a means to an end and that power is not always an end to a means.