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The hottest places in Hell are reserved for those who remain neutral in time of great moral crisis.-- Dante Alighieri (from the Divine Comedy)

September 01, 2003

The first day of the rest of my life...

Tomorrow, I start my first full-time semester in grad school and my first “serious” job. I don’t consider these events very important in themselves, but in a way, tomorrow is the first day of the rest of my life. Unlike my liberal arts education, the classes and the job I have now are aimed at preparing me for my future vocation and formerly tentative musing about my future have been replaced by a clear focus on where I want to be, and what I must do to get there.

During the four years of my undergraduate education, I went through a process of intellectual discovery and application of my knowledge to my values and goals. I think that skipping the usual “rebellious teen” phase made my exposure to the vast variety of influences on campus more earnest and open-minded. For good and bad, my passion for ideas took me from one group to another as I sought to find people who shared my view of the world. For various periods, I was a webmaster of the Aggie Democrats, my corps outfit, the Aggie Libertarians, the Aggie Review, and then the Objectivist Club. I saw the consequences of corrupt philosophies firsthand and I finally found one that made sense. I am just beginning to integrate my philosophy with my life; and while the details have yet to be filled in, I am certain of my values and of my goals. I know who I am and what I want to become. In the words of Ayn Rand, I am "a being of self-made soul."

Posted by David at September 1, 2003 12:58 AM | TrackBack

Comments

Political science and modern neo-classical/Keynesian economics are hardly a Liberal Arts education.

Get a degree in History or Literature.

Posted by: Tim Swanson at September 1, 2003 02:59 PM

Yeah, I second that (referring to Tim's post).

Good luck with grad school and the new job!

Posted by: Sharleen at September 2, 2003 01:23 AM

"A liberal arts education is a broad-based education in which a student studies a variety of different subjects in order to gain a better working knowledge of the world around him or herself, rather than focusing in and specializing in one specific area."
I think in practice, this means taking classes in philosophy, history, the fine arts, and foreign languages. My college experience qualifies under that definition.

Posted by: David at September 2, 2003 04:33 AM

I'd go back even farther, surely a man such as yourself who proclaims to defend Western civilization has read the Classics : )

Besides, the philosophy you studied is fairly modern compared to what someone like myself was required to read. You might want to, you know, broaden your horizons, and see what other people (aside from the Cult of Rand) had as ideas.

I would disagree with claim about history, I don't think you have a hold on the subject at all (based upon your writings). Fine arts? You've created an art gallery, I guess that makes you cultured? Foreign languages... you know Latin and Greek?

Seriously, I'm not trying to knock you personally, but you haven't proven to me in any form or fashion that you are the Renaissance's 'Universal Man.' You know what the Renaissance was, right?

Posted by: Tim Swanson at September 2, 2003 04:20 PM

Did you really quote this page?

http://www.thehighschoolgraduate.com/editorial/BO/liberal.htm

Another reason why I don't think you've got an idea as to what "Liberal Arts" is. I highly recommend taking Bornstein's: Renaissance & Reformation class there at A&M. You'll find out what "Liberal Arts" was/is.

Here are two articles on the matter:
- http://www.liberalarts.wabash.edu/liberalartsonline/archives/preaching.html

- http://www.mises.org/fullstory.asp?control=1074

Whether you like it or not, "religious" schools are pretty much the only places that really get it right in terms of a Classical education.

Posted by: Tim Swanson at September 2, 2003 04:29 PM

I am glad you went, after all, through the liberal arts undergrad program. Had you gone to the School of Engineering, you would have learned a lot about designing airplanes, but I doubt you would have disovered as much about life and your views on it. Renaissanse man or not, you have grown in my eyes from a boy with "traditional" values to a man with rational "thinking" mind, which I value much more than "classic" views, whatever it means to different people.

Love,

me :-)

Posted by: edvinna at September 6, 2003 03:15 PM

Tim -

I just now realized that I was in Bornstein's class with you. How odd that I thought we'd only met once when we had a class together.

Posted by: Sharleen at September 13, 2003 06:09 AM