The Liberating Arts

Reviews / Votes

In this series of lively, absorbing, and accessible essays, the contributors invoke and dismantle all the chief objections to the study of the liberal arts. The result is a clarion call for an education that enables human and societal flourishing. Everyone concerned about the fate of learning today must read this book. -Eric Adler, author, The Battle of the Classics In our era of massive social and technological upheaval, this book offers a robust examination of and an expansive vision for the liberal arts. As a scientist who believes that education should shape us for lives of reflection and action, I found the essays riveting, challenging, and inspiring. I picked it up and could not put it down. -Francis Su, author, Mathematics for Human Flourishing At their best, the humanities are about discerning what kinds of lives we should be living. But humanities education is in crisis today, leaving many without resources to answer this most important question of our lives. The authors of this volume are able contenders for the noble cause of saving and improving the humanities. Read and be inspired! -Miroslav Volf, co-author, Life Worth Living The Liberating Arts is a transformative work. Opening with an acknowledgment of the sundry forces arrayed against liberal arts education today, this diverse collection of voices cultivates an expansive imagination for how the liberal arts can mend what is broken and orient us individually and collectively to what is good, true, and beautiful. -Kristin Kobes Du Mez, author, Jesus and John Wayne A welcome addition to the long tradition of advocacy for the liberal arts. It brings together argument and delight, uniting the format of apologetics with the spirit of celebration. ...An appropriate gift not only for those who are already "in the fold" of the liberal arts community but also for friendly skeptics and potential converts. -Current Magazine This collection suggests that the liberal arts provide an education that meets the highest aspirations of the human person, an education aimed at human flourishing. It is difficult to put a price on that. What we need are administrators who are willing to offer the opportunity to aim higher. -The Wall Street Journal These writers offer an expanisve vision for the arts, rooted in companionship and gratitude for good gifts that are still - despite all of the evident losses - with us and continuing to impart life. The book manages to be both a no-nonsense manifesto and a convivial exchange of great ideas. -ClassicalEd Review An excellent book for parents, alum, and donors as a resource in their support of the humanities in higher education. ...As long as there are humans who seek knowledge and wisdom as the underlying flow that energizes their lives, we will continue to rely on the stories of those who lived a life well observed: the goal of a liberal arts education. -Englewood Review of Books The clarity and unity of purpose of the essays in The Liberating Arts is evident and powerful, while the variety of essays makes it accessible to a range of audiences. The personal reflections draw in readers who are engaged less by academic argument and more by a person's story. ...This book will be very useful for educators in several contexts (K- 12 programs, alternative education like prison education, higher education, etc.) seeking to persuade students and their parents of the value of the liberal arts. -International Journal of Christianity and Education The clarity and unity of purpose of the essays in The Liberating Arts is evident and powerful, while the variety of essays makes it accessible to a range of audiences. The research-based essays provide cogent, persuasive, well-supported arguments; the personal reflections draw in readers who are engaged less by academic argument and more by a person's story. -International Journal of Christianity and Education