Newman and the Idea of a University

I found extremely intriguing the first paragraph of John Henry Newman's famous work on the concept of the university and would like to share it and several others. Just these words alone convince me that Newman's treatise must be worth reading.

John Henry Newman
First paragraphs of Idea of the University.

The view taken of a University in these Discourses is the following:—
That it is a place of teaching universal knowledge. This
implies that its object is, on the one hand, intellectual, not moral;
and, on the other, that it is the diffusion and extension of knowledge
rather than the advancement. If its object were scientific and
philosophical discovery, I do not see why a University should
have students; if religious training, I do not see how it can be the
seat of literature and science.

I have said that all branches of knowledge are connected together,
because the subject-matter of knowledge is intimately
united in itself, as being the acts and the work of the Creator.
Hence it is that the Sciences, into which our knowledge may be
said to be cast, have multiplied bearings one on another, and an
internal sympathy, and admit, or rather demand, comparison and
adjustment. They complete, correct, balance each other. This
consideration, if well-founded, must be taken into account, not
only as regards the attainment of truth, which is their common [100]
end, but as regards the influence which they exercise upon those
whose education consists in the study of them. I have said
already, that to give undue prominence to one is to be unjust
to another; to neglect or supersede these is to divert those from
their proper object. It is to unsettle the boundary lines between
science and science, to disturb their action, to destroy the harmony
which binds them together. Such a proceeding will have a
corresponding effect when introduced into a place of education.
There is no science but tells a different tale, when viewed as a
portion of a whole, from what it is likely to suggest when taken
by itself, without the safeguard, as I may call it, of others.
Let me make use of an illustration. In the combination of
colours, very different effects are produced by a difference in
their selection and juxta-position; red, green, and white, change
their shades, according to the contrast to which they are submitted.
And, in like manner, the drift and meaning of a branch
of knowledge varies with the company in which it is introduced
to the student. If his reading is confined simply to one subject,
however such division of labour may favour the advancement of
a particular pursuit, a point into which I do not here enter, certainly
it has a tendency to contract his mind. If it is incorporated
with others, it depends on those others as to the kind of influence
which it exerts upon him. Thus the Classics, which in England
are the means of refining the taste, have in France subserved the
spread of revolutionary and deistical doctrines. In Metaphysics,
again, Butler's Analogy of Religion, which has had so much
to do with the conversion to the Catholic faith of members of
the University of Oxford, appeared to Pitt and others, who had
received a different training, to operate only in the direction of
[101] infidelity. And so again, Watson, Bishop of Llandaff, as I think
he tells us in the narrative of his life, felt the science of Mathematics
to indispose the mind to religious belief, while others see
in its investigations the best parallel, and thereby defence, of the
Christian Mysteries. In like manner, I suppose, Arcesilas would
not have handled logic as Aristotle, nor Aristotle have criticized
poets as Plato; yet reasoning and poetry are subject to scientific
rules.

It is a great point then to enlarge the range of studies which
a University professes, even for the sake of the students; and,
though they cannot pursue every subject which is open to them,
they will be the gainers by living among those and under those
who represent the whole circle. This I conceive to be the advantage
of a seat of universal learning, considered as a place of
education. An assemblage of learned men, zealous for their own
sciences, and rivals of each other, are brought, by familiar intercourse
and for the sake of intellectual peace, to adjust together the
claims and relations of their respective subjects of investigation.
They learn to respect, to consult, to aid each other. Thus is created
a pure and clear atmosphere of thought, which the student also
breathes, though in his own case he only pursues a few sciences
out of the multitude. He profits by an intellectual tradition, which
is independent of particular teachers, which guides him in his
choice of subjects, and duly interprets for him those which he
chooses. He apprehends the great outlines of knowledge, the
principles on which it rests, the scale of its parts, its lights and
its shades, its great points and its little, as he otherwise cannot
apprehend them. Hence it is that his education is called “Liberal.”
A habit of mind is formed which lasts through life, of which
the attributes are, freedom, equitableness, calmness, moderation,
and wisdom; or what in a former Discourse I have ventured to [102]
call a philosophical habit. This then I would assign as the special
fruit of the education furnished at a University, as contrasted
with other places of teaching or modes of teaching. This is the
main purpose of a University in its treatment of its students.
And now the question is asked me, What is the use of it? and
my answer will constitute the main subject of the Discourses
which are to follow.

1st Emirates Internat'l Lit Fest Schlocky but Promising

I made it to only one day of the much ballyhooed Emirates International Literature Festival held this weekend at the Intercon Hotel, Festival City (Dubai) and overall found it to be a pretty trashy affair mitigated by a few class acts. On the evidence one day was enough. The event did succeed however in one respect: inventing a new unpronounceable acronym. EAIFL anyone? I’m wondering if there’s some way the organizers of the event might reconstrue the celebration to read PULP--or how about the Authors Shopping Festival (ASF)? These would be more pronounceable and accurate. Of course the emphasis on pulp fiction & authors of bestsellers was obvious from the start, along with a sprinkling of respectable literary names such as Margaret Atwood (who withdrew controversially) and Louis de Bernieres who gave it some literary depth and prestige. Jung Chang, author of Wild Swans, whom I missed is certainly a quality act as well. The inclusion of lesser-known more qualitatively inclined authors such as some of the Arab writers there also gives pause to a blanket condemnation. Emirati Mohammed Al Murr, well-known, popular and not trashy, was a prominent organizer of the event. Having said all this, it was the Wilbur Smiths, Philippa Gregorys and Karin Slaughters whose milelong racks of pulp titles dominated the event and whose shiny no doubt very shallow books occupied the big tent. All you needed to do was check out the fonts used in the titles. Pulp uses italicized slant serif while quality uses custom deco typefaces.

Other mitigating elements were: the inclusion of children’s authors (such as Lauren Child) whose works seemed very decent within the genre, and, since good literature isn’t automatically unpopular there are inevitably some best-selling authors whose works reputedly transcend the category such as Frank McCourt (of Angela's Ashes fame) who was there. Robert Irwin, the all too little known scholar and novelist/fanstasist of topics Middle-Eastern also made an appearance. His book on the camel seemed light weight compared to previous work, but he too is far from superficial and doesn't belong in the company of bestselling ripoffs.

I went to two events – a symposium of Arab authors including Khalid Khalmissi and Ibrahim Nasrallah who discussed the dilemmas in trying to “raise awareness” of Arab literature – a serious and worthwhile discussion that was simultaneously interpreted through headsets. The other was a slick “conversation” with Louis de Bernieres conducted in front of an impressively big audience of fans. The author of Captain Corelli's Mandolin was mainly witty, entertaining and disarmingly frank though at times amazingly cocky (as in comparing himself to Tolstoy). Reputedly hostile to the famous film adaptation of his novel, De Bernieres offered the hugely laughable proposition that the Italian actor Roberto Benigni would have been better in the role of Captain Corelli than Nicolas Cage. His fans’ questions were so embarrassingly sweet, I wanted to ask a more critical question but the hour session broke up on time, and later I saw De Bernieres at the autograph tables working on a line of at least 50 or 60 souls, like the check-in line at an airlines desk.

The free fringe events had folded up before I arrived – I’d signed up for a storytelling workshop organized by the BC – but had to cancel unfortunately. The debate/discussion on free speech was, as described by a Foyles bookstore manager, lively, frank and to the point but a bit controlled and not thrown out to the audience. The authors in the school day program on Sunday, widely reported, added to the event’s pleasant afterglow.

Finally, you have to ask yourself: at what cost the bestsellers? Do the Karin Slaughters, Phillipa Gregorys and Wilbur Smiths of the world need any extra publicity? How can the reputations of smaller-scale, qualitative writers thrive in the company of so much schlock? Given the mix of levels and events, the show isn’t an automatic write off, but if next year’s event is as trashy as this one, it may rate a pass. Then again it may not.