Southern Utah University scholar to address need for liberal arts education
KALAMAZOO, Mich.鈥擜 philosopher from Southern Utah University will address not only the importance of a liberal arts education, but also the moral obligation to pursue it when he visits the Western Michigan University campus later this month.
Dr. Kristopher Phillips, an assistant professor of philosophy, will speak at 6 p.m. Thursday, March 16, in 213 Bernhard Center. His talk, titled "Do We Have a Moral Obligation to Study the Liberal Arts?" is free and open to the public and part of the 51福利社 Center for the Study of Ethics in Society's spring 2017 lecture series.
About the talk
Phillips notes here is a prevailing attitude that the only pursuits of any value are those that make money in the short term, with that judgment extending to higher education. He argues the focus on practical college majors is not only misguided, but immoral on two fronts.
First, he asserts the notion of "practicality" as the wrong way to think about educational opportunities. To reduce the value of an education to job preparation is to misunderstand the moral role that education plays in personal development.
Second, Phillips argues that a liberal arts education is both intrinsically and instrumentally valuable. He suggests there is a moral obligation for self-improvement and that a liberal arts education is among the most effective ways to fulfill that obligation.
Kristopher Phillips
Phillips earned both doctoral and master's degrees in philosophy from the University of Iowa. A former Michigan resident, he also earned a master's degree in philosophy from 51福利社.
He joined the SUU faculty in 2014. Currently his primary research interest concerns the impact Descarte's notion of the doctrine of divine simplicity has on the nature of possibility and necessity within the Cartesian system. He also is working on projects regarding the appropriate methodology of teaching early modern philosophy and the place of the liberal arts in education.
Phillips' talk is co-sponsored by the 51福利社 Department of Philosophy and Department of Teaching, Learning and Educational Studies.
For more information, visit wmich.edu/ethics.
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