The Idea and Modern Ideas: Newman and Higher Education in the 1990s

Abstract

Examines the continuing relevancy of Newman’s Idea of a University as a guide for curriculum development. Compares Newman’s writing with the work with Allan Bloom, A. Bart Giamatti, and Lynn Cheney, all of whom seem, in one way or another, to be kindred spirits. Concludes that Newman’s basic assumption about the nature of truth and the role of university education is out of touch with modern conceptions, but that his ideas still have appeal to a minority in the profession.