On Education, Formation, Citizenship and the Lost Purpose of Learning - (Reading Augustine) by Joseph Clair (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

Reading Augustine presents concise, personal readings of St. Augustine of Hippo from leading philosophers and religion scholars.

The looming crisis in higher education appears to be a matter of soaring costs and crushing student debt, but the problem is actually much deeper. It is a crisis of soul; a question of the very purpose of learning and the type of people that our educational system produces. Today, in the age of academic hyper-specialization and professional knowledge, the moral and spiritual purposes of learning have been eclipsed by a shallow view of career and success. On Education, Formation, Citizenship, and the Lost Purpose of Learning turns to the influential figure Augustine of Hippo to explore how he saved the liberal arts at the end of the Roman Empire and how his inspiring vision can do the same for higher education today. It offers a roadmap for reviving the soul of education - presenting concrete ways that the intellectual practices and economic enterprise of learning can lead once more to a fulfilled life of knowing God and loving others.

Review Quotes

"On Education is a compelling read. It brings fresh air to Augustine's remarkable life. In just 120 pages, with Augustine as his guide, Clair diagnoses the disarray that afflicts the modern university, making a case for liberal education grounded in moral and spiritual purposes." --The Cresset

"As a foray toward the calling of reading deeply as a facet of an intellectual asceticism and a serious option for those concerned about higher education, I commend Clair's book." --Reading Religion

"This book should be compulsory reading for members of the board at Christian universities. The book is also a challenging invitation to all Augustinian scholars to search across a spectrum of fields for how the life and work of Augustine could be fruitful for contemporary society." --Augustiniana

"Some books are long, but relative to their length you don't benefit much. Some books are short, but relative to their length you benefit greatly. Joseph Clair's new book, On Education, Formation, Citizenship and the Lost Purpose of Learning fits in the latter category. In 120 pages Clair gives a crisp and thoughtful account of how higher education has lost its moral rudder." --David Moore, twocities.org

"Joseph Clair compellingly responds to the current milieu in which higher education has largely lost its moral and spiritual moorings. By reappropriating Augustine's legacy, he shows us how higher education can shift from an emphasis on self-fulfillment to an emphasis on knowing God, civic responsibility, and loving others. This book will have a profound impact on anyone who cares about higher education today; it should be required reading for anyone who wants to help institutions develop a stronger mission, culture, and approach to student learning." --D. Michael Lindsay, President, Gordon College, USA

"The power of Augustine's biography and rhetoric can obscure how he transformed learning and reading into a way of life for an age uncertain of its cultural ideals and tempted by despair. In this graceful book-rooted in ancient wisdom yet without nostalgia-Joseph Clair revives this influential Augustinian legacy in the service of a dynamic vision of liberal arts education that is both aspirational and practical for our critical moment." --Eric Gregory, Professor of Religion and Chair of the Council of the Humanities, Princeton University, USA

"The university as we know it is a tin-man: a machine without a heart that churns out students in its image. In this provocative book, Joseph Clair shows a way to renew the university by giving it a heart-and a soul. He does so by taking us to one of the West's most important products and proponents of the liberal arts: Augustine. The result is a refreshing take on our contemporary challenge." --James K.A. Smith, Professor of Philosophy, Calvin College, USA, and author of You Are What You Love: The Spiritual Power of Habit

"Clair offers a perceptive and, as far as I know, new defense of a Christian great books education that is an excellent contribution to our reflection on contemporary liberal education." --Augustinian Studies

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