A commentary on John Henry Newman's The Idea of a university.

Includes bibliographies and index.

In dialogue with John Henry Newman -- The storm breaking upon the university : the university in crisis -- Pushing things up to their first principles -- Knowledge its own end? -- The imperial intellect and its virtues -- The mansion-house of the goodly family of the sciences -- The business of a university -- The advancement of knowledge through research -- The extension of knowledge through teaching -- Knowledge viewed in relation to professional skill -- The embalming of dead genius? -- The diffusion of knowledge through publishing -- Duties to society -- The university as ground of promise in the future -- The university and the spread of revolutionary doctrines -- The task of initiating a work of self-reformation -- Alma mater : a life of learning -- The idea of the university in scholarly literature.

The crisis in university education has been the subject of vigorous debate in recent years. In this eloquent and deeply personal book, a distinguished scholar reflects on the character and aims of the university, assessing its guiding principles, its practical functions, and its role in society. Jaroslav Pelikan provides a unique perspective on the university today by reexamining it in light of John Henry Cardinal Newman's 150-year-old classic The Idea of a University and showing how Cardinal Newman's ideas both illuminate and differ from current problems facing higher education. Pelikan begins by affirming the validity of Newman's first principle: that knowledge must be an end in itself. He goes on to make the case for the inseparability of research and teaching on both intellectual and practical grounds, stressing the virtues--free inquiry, scholarly honesty, civility in discourse, toleration of diverse beliefs and values, and trust in rationality and public verifiability--that must be practiced and taught by the university. He discusses the business of the university--the advancement of knowledge through research, the extension and interpretation of knowledge through undergraduate and graduate teaching, the preservation of knowledge in libraries, museums, and galleries, and the diffusion of knowledge through scholarly publishing. And he argues that by performing these tasks, by developing closer ties with other schools at all levels, and by involving the community in lifelong education, the university will make its greatest contribution to society.

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