Pre-Reading
I’m not really sure what to think about this article just form the 6 word title. I think it will probably define what liberal arts is and why colleges use this concept.. Because we read about growth vs fixed mindsets, I think this article may mention some of these concepts since it will talk about critical thinking. The article title also says “We neglect them at our peril.” Because of the way this is worded I think the article will be lot of agreeing with the concept of liberal arts institutions.
What Are the Liberal Arts?
“The idea of the liberal arts has a nearly two-thousand-year history…” (Para 1) If this term / idea has been used for so long, why is it becoming less common? Of course as the economy changes so does everyone’s perspectives on jobs and careers, but I feel like it shouldn’t have changed that much to the point of it becoming uncommon.
Why Do We Need the Liberal Arts?
“The overall goal is to foster vibrant and prosperous communities with broad and deep participation, in public conversations marked by fairness, inclusion, and (where critical thinking comes in) intellectual rigor.” (Para 6) Again, if this concept is so important and has been working so long, why is it becoming so uncommon? I don’t see any real downsides or bad impacts to the use of this concept. Is it mainly due to the need for trades? Or the rising tuition bills?
What Is Critical Thinking?
“Critical thinking is the intellectual engine of a functional democracy: the set of mental practices that lends breadth, depth, clarity, and consistency to public discourse.” (Para 1) This I feel is a very broad definition. The later paragraphs do describe this term more in depth, but cross over to talking about critical inquiry. “In fact, critical inquiry is the bridge between basic critical thinking and philosophy, and it’s where most higher learning takes place.” (Para 5) I think this section focused more on critical inquiry rather than critical thinking, although inquiry is involved within thinking.
The Importance of Critical Inquiry
“The STEM disciplines are obviously important to economic productivity, but so is the entire rainbow of human knowledge and the ability to think critically. That’s why nations around the world are beginning to embrace the liberal arts ideas American education has done so much to promote, even as we question it.” (Para 5)
